Hear Me
by Bomani Akila Neteru
Summary: Even deaf ears can hear what quick lips speak. She only wished she knew what his voice sounded like. She imagined it was as beautiful as his kind spark. She was a computer analyst, nothing special. It surprised her when he insisted seeing her everyday. Deaf!OC/Bluestreak
1. Chapter 1

Keys clicked beneath her fingers, the computer tower hummed, and the light of the screen poured onto her face. The sound was lost to her, but she could feel the vibrations of the components within the device working, and she could feel the keys giving way beneath every push of her fingertips.

Like magic. She grinned giddily at the thought.

A hand gently grasped her shoulder and she looked up at the source of the weight and warmth, confused. The face of Maggie, her friend and partner, looked down at her with concern, "It's late Lilah. Are you ready to head to the cafeteria?" Lilah, though deaf and unable to hear her friend's words, was easily capable of reading her lips. With a soft smile, she nodded and carefully stood from her desk. She hadn't been aware of the fact that it was time to go home.

Maggie returned the smile and took the deaf woman's hand in her own. There were times when she wouldn't hear a soldier approaching, or a lighter and more nimble Autobot- such as Jazz- and was in danger of being stepped on, kicked, or shoved aside.

Thus, Maggie had gained something of a soft spot for the slightly older, yet somewhat smaller woman, and tended to have a hold on her so she could pull her out of the way.

Lilah didn't mind in the least. In fact, she rather liked it. This way, she didn't get in so much trouble, and she didn't get hurt so often.

The five foot two inch tall woman waited patiently for the computer to shut down, smiling all the while. She was always cheerful and happy, with a kind gesture ready for anyone that crossed paths with her. Good natured and kind hearted, she easily made many friends among her fellow computer analysts and hackers. Most soldiers however claimed it to be 'creepy' and tried to avoid the deaf woman.

It didn't bother Lilah so much. She never really saw them anyway unless they were delivering something to the 'lab' where she worked or she was reporting something to her superiors, which wasn't often. The twenty five year old was brought from her thoughts when Maggie began to lead her out of the lab stubbornly, obviously hungry.

Giggling a little, unsure if it came out aloud or was silent, Lilah quickened her pace and strode at the blonde woman's side, beaming. The Aussie pulled her around a corner, dodging soldiers and Autobot feet, and honed in on the cafeteria doors like a bloodhound.

No one paid them any mind when they entered and joined the line. They didn't turn any heads. Well, Maggie did with her good looks, but other than that? Nothing. Nada.

It was something Lilah was grateful for. She didn't like people looking at her, and she certainly didn't like how people tended to belittle her for her lack of hearing, something which she had been born with.

She could still read lips though! It wasn't like she was completely useless. Contributing to a conversation was something she could still do, so why did they shun her so much and ignore her? Lilah shrugged the thought off and continued to smile brightly at Maggie's side. So what? She still had the pretty dirty blonde at her side as a friend, right? So why was she so worried about such silly things?

Said taller woman brought the other back to her thoughts with a wave of her hand. Lilah blinked several times before refocusing on her with an apologetic look. Maggie smiled and shook her head, brushing it off before talking to her about today's menu. Lilah grinned in amusement, bright amber colored eyes shining. Maggie never did like what the cooks served; she claimed they couldn't cook, they just blundered around the kitchen until something worked- and then they slapped the slop on the trays and gave it a random name.

They chatted until they retrieved their portions of food- which Maggie wrinkled her nose at- and then headed to an empty table with Lilah on her heels. Together, they settled at the table they had commandeered; all thanks to Maggie's glare of molten lava, which had scared those other soldiers off, and proceeded to try and eat their food. The dirty blonde was the first to push her tray away with a look of displeasure. Lilah got a little bit further in her tray before also sliding it out of her reach.

It really didn't taste good at all.

Maggie began to dig around in her purse with a determined look on her face, leaving Lilah to blink at her and wait in confusion. A moment later, the dirty blonde pulled out a black, flat hair brush with a triumphant look on her face. The deaf woman had to laugh at that. Maggie was too cute for her own good sometimes; no matter how rough around the edges the Australian woman was. Said woman sent her a scolding look, to which she replied with an innocent gesture and wide eyes, though a playful smile still tugged at her pink lips.

The Aussie rolled her eyes, holding the brush out to the other woman. Lilah accepted with a laugh and reached up to tug the skewered ponytail from her hair. The shoulder blade length pitch black locks fell in waves and unruly curls in its layered style. Now that it was free, it curled in every direction, much like the snakes upon Medusa's head from ancient mythology.

Unconcerned, Lilah began to rip her brush through the locks in an attempt to tame them. After several minutes, she managed to at least make her hair look decent; and threw it back into a high ponytail. While she wrestled her hair into the poor black rubber band, Maggie took the brush back and tucked it away into her bag.

Lilah's hair was a bit of a problem. Though she brushed it in the morning and took good care of it, it didn't like to listen much. Despite her efforts to keep it in a neat style, by the end of the day there would be a ton of stray strands free and half of the hair would be free of the band and against her back. After a week or so on the job and Maggie seeing this, the Aussie had taken to letting the other woman borrow her brush.

The deaf woman chalked it up to her being bothered by the messy mop she called hair. Liliah didn't mind though. It was nice of her to offer, and she wasn't about to turn it down.

Maggie jumped, the sudden action causing Lilah to snap her gaze on the other woman in worry, silently asking if she was alright. The blonde woman didn't answer, simply ripping her phone out of her bag and tapping at it with a confused expression. The longer she stared at the device, the more her expression changed. From confusion, to anger. Wary, the black haired woman scooted away from the enraged Aussie that was currently seething.

After a moment, Maggie took a deep breath and looked up at Lilah with an apologetic expression. Attentive, the blackette began to lip read. "I'm sorry, they're having an issue in the data center. Can you make it back to your room all right?" Lilah nodded in response to the blonde's question. With one last apology and a goodbye, Maggie stood and hurried away to put her tray up and head out the door.

It wasn't the first time she had been called away, and so Lilah felt no discomfort with her friend's absence. She could make it back to her room without trouble, so she stood and began to put away her tray without issue.

Darting down the hallway, Lilah did her best to avoid running into soldiers and to keep from under the large metal titan's feet. It wouldn't do any good to be squished. Being a human pancake wouldn't help the war they were in with the Decepticons. So, nervous and quick, Lilah tried to simply stay out of the way and get to her room.

Unfortunately the giant robot foot had other plans. The worst part about it all was that the poor bot was _stationary_.

Lilah still somehow managed to ram right into him at full speed. With a squeak, she fell over onto her rump, hands flying to her now sore face. Oh, she sincerely hoped she hadn't broken anything, or offended the Cybertronian now crouched in front of her. A cry of surprise left her as a pair of black servos scooped her up and she was suddenly in the air. Forgetting her face, she wrapped her arms around one of the digits tightly.

Falling was bad, falling was very very bad and it was something she did not want to do. To fall meant to die. Death was bad.

These panicked thoughts raced through Lilah's mind as she clenched her eyes shut and held onto the servo that had picked her up. It was still for a moment besides a steady vibration running through her being… and then a rumbling began.

The same rumble that accompanied them when they spoke. As if it was coming straight from their chests, which wasn't very far the mark. Blinking, Lilah focused her golden brown eyes upwards on the bot. For a moment, his optics dimmed and he stopped speaking. Something that happened when they were doing something mentally.

Taking a moment to examine him, the deaf woman began to relax. He didn't seem like one of the more cranky or rough ones. Gray, soft looking face with gentle deep blue optics; a red chevron on his forehead- at least she thought they were called that- a gray and black chassis that stuck out as the front of his alternate form, and vague hints of red here and there along his body. Finished and feeling a little braver, Lilah looked up at his face.

For several moments, his optics remained dimmed and his expression blank, as if reviewing something, before they suddenly brightened and locked on her with a bright twinkle. A cheerful smile lit up his face. His next words were spoken so fast, most wouldn't be able to keep up; but Lilah, a master of reading lips, easily understood him.

"Hi there! I'm Bluestreak! You must be Lilah Abernathy, right? I hope we can be really good friends! Oh! I'm sorry I was standing in the middle of the hallway. I didn't mean to cause you to crash into me." He looked sincerely apologetic, which Lilah thought was bullshit because _she _had rammed into _him _and it was therefore her fault, not his. However, he continued talking at lightning speed, not allowing her a word in edgewise. "Oh! Wait! Your file said you were deaf. Maybe I should set you down and use sign language…"

At that, she shook her head fiercely in an attempt to get his attention and dissuade him as she felt he didn't need to go through that trouble. "Then you can understand me?" Bluestreak perked up, hope shining in those large blue optics of his. Lilah nervously wetted her lips and nodded in the affirmative. She didn't like being up in high places, but she was comforted by the knowledge that he for one wouldn't let her fall, for two wouldn't throw her, and for three wouldn't get angry at her lack of understanding at times.

This wasn't her first interaction with the aliens she called her comrades. On occasion, she would see Red Alert when Maggie was reporting to him, and his mate, Inferno. She hadn't, however, spoken with them, and after an encounter with Sunstreaker, she wasn't keen on being around the huge titans. Still, this one- Bluestreak- seemed nice enough. Perhaps she could make a friend? The deaf female could almost imagine his bright, happy voice.

"That's wonderful!" Bluestreak stepped out of the way, against a wall as another bot came down the hallway, "I'm really sorry about getting in your way, I can take you to your room if you'd like. That is, unless you don't like people you don't know very well going to your living space- I totally understand that. I don't like it very much either, but if you'd like me to I could take you there! I'd really like to since I almost hurt you really bad. You know, you humans are so small!, its so easy to forget you're there or not see you! That always makes me really nervous because I could step on you easily-"

Lilah smiled in amusement as he rattled on, shifting so she was sitting in his palm where it was safe, thankful she had chosen to wear a pair of dark blue jeans and not a dress. Still paying attention to what he was saying, she tucked her ankle high boot clad feet under her butt and carefully moved her nice pain brown t-shirt back into place.

"Anyway, would you like me to take you back to your room?" He came back around to his initial question and Lilah nodded with a laugh. Walking was rather dangerous for her, it seemed. "Great! Point the way!" Bluestreak beamed down at her happily before starting to walk as Lilah pointed the way as she was told. The entire way to her room was filled with Bluestreak chattering away about this that and something else. He never ran out of things to say.

The computer analyst had little trouble keeping up, and found herself enjoying his company. It made her feel awkward when no one was talking, even if she couldn't hear them, because she could almost feel how uncomfortable the other people felt. Blue had a way of relaxing her, and thus, she rather liked being around him. Content, Lilah leaned back in his hand, lip reading and watching the bright, happy expression on his face. "Oh, hey, is that it?" She blinked as he pointed to the apartment building that was a little ways away from the base. Lilah grinned and nodded.

Computer analysts and hackers got to stay in a strange motel like thing, while the soldiers were kept on base. Something about keeping them out of the way in case there was an attack and there not being enough room on base for them. Lilah didn't care. She just liked having her own space, so she didn't complain.

She held onto Bluestreak's hand firmly as he slowly knelt down so as not to injure her by whiplash or some other ailment. Really, he didn't know too much about humans, so it was best to be careful. Once he had his servo against the ground, Lilah climbed off gracelessly and nearly tumbled to the ground. Luckily, Bluestreak lowered his other hand to carefully steady her as she did so. Sending him a grateful look, Lilah clung to the free hand and steadied herself, now standing at the door to the hotel building.

Once she had her balance again, the analyst removed her hands from the large bot's. "Here we are! I suppose I have to go back now… I'm sorry if I talked your ears off. A lot of people say I do that." She shook her head, hearing his sad tone, "I didn't?" Blue's voice and visage brightened up noticeably, "I'm glad! Oh… I'm getting a call from Optimus… I gotta go!" A sudden flash of panic and fear flashed across his face before he stepped back, transformed and sped off in his pretty Datsun form.

Lilah blinked dizzily. That had been fast, nearly rushed.

Brushing it off, she turned and headed into the motel with a tired sigh. She had, hopefully, made a new friend today, but she honestly doubted she would see him again. The base was large and she was a computer analyst while he was a Cybertronian. Another meeting wasn't likely to happen. Still, Lilah remained hopefully that there was a possibility.

Smile coming back onto her features, the blackette went to her room, took a shower, and crawled into bed.

There was always tomorrow.

(A long time ago, when I was a small child, I had a friend. This friend was deaf, and stuck in a wheelchair. What was strange, was that I was a mere 5-8 years old, while she was in her fifties. We would sit and talk for hours about anything and everything. We developed our own way of speaking to one another, because I couldn't seem to learn sign language. It was through her that I was initially introduced to Transformers.

Her favorite was always Bluestreak. So, in my small, determined way, I told her- promised, really- that I would write her a story. She would smile and say she'd like that, and we'd go about our business. She was always there to cheer me on in my goal to become a renowned author, telling me I could do it and that my writing was wonderful.

Three months later, she was killed by a drunk intruder. I wasn't aloud to attend her funeral. In my fear and anger, despair and pain, I laid my pen down and lost my drive to write.

Many years later, I'm reminded of my promise, though she's long gone from this world. Once more, I pick up my pen, determined to fulfill my promise.

This ones for you, Miss C. I haven't forgotten, though others have.)


	2. Short End Of The Stick

Lilah slept through the night like a rock; without disturbance of any kind. She was woken in the morning by her dog licking her face insistently. Scrunching up her face, the deaf woman grumbled to herself and pushed the tiny weenie dog puppy away from her. She felt the baby whine against her hand, the vibrations running up her arm in a pleasant symphony of rumbling sensation.

Yawning, Lilah reached her hands up to scrub away the crust clinging to her eyes. Determined, the three month old dachshund crawled back up the woman's lap. Sighing, she wrapped her arms around the tiny pup and hugged it. Wiggling, the black, brown highlighted dog attempted to move to where it could lick at her face, licking and rubbing itself in anyway against her it could along the way.

Blinking hard, the computer analyst managed to clear her eyes of the crust, and began to slowly swing herself out of bed. Feet brushing the floor, Lilah placed the puppy down gently before standing up tiredly.

Lilah wasn't a morning person. Not in the slightest.

Still, she lumbered into the kitchen, half-asleep. Borderline blind, she managed to start coffee, and fix a bowl of food for her small puppy. "Mocha… please…" The slurred mumbled was lost on her own ears, but the tiny weenie dog wiggled back, giving her owner some room with a pitiful, pleading whine.

Shuffling a little, the exhausted woman set the food down. Instantly, Mocha was on it, devouring the dog food there in a messy fashion. Amused, Lilah fixed herself a cup of coffee and sat at her table with it, sipping at it while she watched her baby.

A check of the time told her she had about an hour before she had to leave for work. So, finishing her warm coffee off with a chug, Lilah pulled herself to her feet and moved for the shower, setting the empty cup in the sink as she passed by it. Like a duckling, the puppy waddled after her, right on her heels. Together, the duo moved into the bathroom, and Lilah shut the door.

Mocha sat by the door in a wiggling, rolling mass of fur and fluff as Lilah stripped down and climbed into the shower. She wallowed all over the floor without any heed to her owner's current agenda.

It only took her maybe fifteen minutes to get clean and woken up. When she exited the shower, turning off the hot water as she went, the puppy was on her legs, licking the water from them happily. Scrunching up her face at the feeling, Lilah reached down and scooped her up, quietly scolding her as best she could.

When she had stepped away from the bathtub, she set the pup down and began to dress. Mocha ran around her legs and leaped into the bathtub, instantly licking the bottom of it. Knowing she couldn't stop the dachshund- even if she tried- Lilah instead began to dry herself off as she entered her bedroom from the bathroom.

Halfway through her dressing, Mocha streaked in after her and began running around her feet excitedly like a black and brown bullet, nearly tripping her poor owner.

Huffing, Lilah yanked her shirt on and promptly sat down on the floor to put her socks and shoes on so she wouldn't fall. In response, her puppy attempted to get at her face to lick her to death. Smiling and laughing a little, feeling both exasperated and happy, the deaf woman gently pushed her dog back and scratched behind her ears.

Mocha rolled over onto her back as she did so, and Lilah rubbed her belly for a few moments before working to pull her socks and shoes on. The puppy rolled to her feet and shot off elsewhere in the apartment, leaving her owner alone to finish. Once Lilah was done, she pulled herself to her feet and began to hunt her puppy down with a smile. She found Mocha barking at something outside the window.

Smiling, Lilah grabbed the retractable leash from where it hung by the door, and hooked it onto the weenie dog's collar. Mocha was only too happy to follow her owner outside and into the grass. More than once, the computer analyst had to stop the little pup from chasing after other animals or people whilst barking, or from running across the road in front of the hotel to the other side.

Thirty minutes later, she had finally gotten Mocha to go to the bathroom and come inside. Feeling accomplished, the dog was unhooked and let loose, and the leash was hung back up by the door.

Ready to leave, with fifteen minutes left to get to work, Lilah resituated her coat and grabbed her work bag. Her baby didn't attempt to stop her as she stepped out the door, closing it behind her. Logically, a puppy will normally chew on everything in the house while their master is gone. Not to mention shit and piss in every available spot.

Thankfully, however, Mocha had several toys and bones to chew on while she was gone, and the things she could chew up had been removed from the floor and low places where she could reach.

The puppy shouldn't leave feces for her to come home to, due to Lilah paying a few different people a couple dollars each to let Mocha out on their breaks since the woman didn't get off in time to do so, and didn't have long enough breaks to go let her out.

It was a simple routine, born from many frustrating days of cleaning up after a messy puppy, and finding the right people to talk to and trust with letting her out.

Lilah was simply glad that was in the past now.

Making sure her apartment was locked, Lilah turned and headed for the base, not really looking forward to a long day of work. Still, she took a deep breath, steadied herself, and put a smile on her face. Positive. Cheerful. That always made the day easier. At least, that's what she repeated to herself and drew from for her strength and courage.

The base itself was rather quiet this early in the morning, as most of the soldiers were still getting ready or eating. This suited Lilah just fine as it made it easier to get to her station. But, as she walked, she couldn't help but to worry. Where was Maggie? Usually she met the deaf woman outside the hotel building, at the front.

Frowning, concerned for her friend's well being, Lilah entered the computer room. And there, sitting at a computer terminal… was Maggie.

The computer was still on, the glow from the screen shining on the dirty blonde, who was laid over the keyboard in a painful looking way, sleeping heavily. Their co-workers seemed to be ignoring Maggie's position and simply getting their jobs done. It irritated the deaf woman slightly, but she brushed it off.

Lilah moved over to the passed out woman and gently laid a hand on her shoulder, unable to help the smile that banished the frown from her face. Maggie didn't even twitch, continuing to sleep on heavily. Sighing a little through her nose, the blackette thought her options over carefully.

She couldn't carry her fellow computer analyst. She was no soldier, and lacked all the nice muscles that came from working out. Yes, she was lean and could carry quite a load should she need to. But carrying another person who was dead weight? Not a chance.

Perhaps she should call Red Alert, let him know Maggie was taking a day off for rest, and then contact the human CMO? Yes, that sounded good.

Moving swiftly, Lilah efficiently got each of these things done, powering up her computer to aid her in this 'quest' as she had dubbed it. Red Alert wasn't happy about it, he never was happy about people taking off, but told the woman to let Maggie know to 'rest up', sounding rather sincere through the email. The security specialist was something of a hard ass, and yet he still seemed to care for the humans and bots alike that worked under him.

Next, she contacted the human CMO. Her email was replied to quickly and simply. He was sending someone to take Maggie back to her apartment, and told Lilah not to worry about it. Pleased and proud that she had taken care of this, the woman leaned back in her chair a moment, checking through her emails. Some junk mail, and a few work related emails greeted her eyes. Sighing heavily through her nose, Lilah leaned forward and began sorting through it, already feeling tired of the day.

Still, she managed to delete all the unwanted mail, and get through all the questions and notifications sent her way. Feeling accomplished, Lilah exited out and opened her work file. She had just began her day's labors when someone came in, scooped Maggie's dead weight body up, and promptly left.

The deaf woman gave them a passing glance, but was quick to return to her work. She was sure the dirty blonde would be fine. She was, after all, in good hands.

Fingers tapped away at the keyboard steadily once more. Keys gave way beneath the lightest of touches, without any resistance. A true, genuine smile crossed Lilah's face. There was just something so _wonderful _about working on a computer. Maybe it was the way the smooth keyboard felt beneath her fingers, or perhaps it was the way things would pop up on the screen and float around, bringing forth a sensation of accomplishment.

Either way, it reminded Lilah _why _she had taken this job, and why she had stuck with it. Feeling humbled, the woman continued to type away at the computer, falling into the lull of her job and finding rhythm within its folds.

She almost screamed- having forgotten there were other people in the room- when someone tapped on her shoulder. Instead, Lilah jumped about three miles in the air and whirled around, wide eyed. Her heart pounded mightily in her chest, sending adrenaline rushing through her veins in an attempt to fuel her flight or fight instincts.

However, at the sight of the annoyed co-worker behind her, who had obviously been calling for her for quite awhile, Lilah began to settle and calm. Swallowing her burst of fear, the deaf woman nervously smiled at the annoyed male staring at her with slight amusement.

He took a moment to simply snicker at her reaction before beginning to speak slowly to her, as if she were stupid and handicapped. Well, she'd admit to being handicapped, but his slowness annoyed her.

'I was born with this.' Lilah thought, fuming on the inside at his audacity, 'I can keep up with a lot faster then that!' the thought brought forth memories of Bluestreak's quick lips and bright expression. She shoved it down before she got distracted from the man she was supposed to be listening to. Even if he was the greatest prick she had ever had the privilege to deal with in her time of working for the Autobots.

No, wait, scratch that. Sunstreaker was definitely worse.

As Lilah continued to read the man's lips, she grew paler and felt a nervous wracking sensation take over her stomach and chest. When he finished, she raised her eyebrows, and pointed to herself for confirmation. He nodded with exaggerated slowness, irritation sparking onto his face as she requested this. For a moment, Lilah could only stand there and blink before nodding mutely. There was no way she could argue.

Her against the rest of the department? She'd lose, make a fool of herself, and make things a _lot _worse.

So, feeling tired, nervous, and like a wreck, the blackette followed the brown haired man as he turned around and walked purposefully away. He lead her back over to one of the table's in the room, surrounded by the other analysts in her department. They all looked up at her expectantly as she came to a stop beside the man.

Somehow, by the grace of the gods, Lilah managed to keep her trademark smile in place during this. Without a word, a glasses wearing woman placed a manilla folder in the nervous computer analyst's hands. She only gave Lilah a sympathetic look, yet seemed glad that it wasn't her being put through this.

The blackette tightened her hold on the seemingly innocent, yet very evil folder filled with information regarding their recent projects. Once she seemed to have a good hold on them, she was practically shoved out the door.

A lamb, sacrificed to the wolves.

At least that's what she felt like as she made her way down the bustling halls filled with people and bots alike. Really, out of all of them, it had to be her? A heavy breath made it's way out through Lilah's nose in a wave of frustration. Still, she pulled a smile onto her face and moved to face her doom.

Once a month, all the departments were required by the government to deliver a collection of documents on their work. She supposed it was a way to check up on them and make sure they weren't screwing around and being lazy… but still, couldn't they just email this to them?

Groaning, Lilah ducked around a corner, narrowly avoiding a soldier on her way. Apparently, they were originally planning to send Maggie with this month's report… until someone pointed out that she was currently passed out. So, since Lilah hadn't said anything about not wanting to go, and not knowing that everyone had already voted themselves out with various things that 'needed' done, she had been sent.

Sent to her doom. Her doomy doomy doom.

Keeping as quiet as she could with her deafness, the analyst peeked around the corner leading into the main hanger. Luckily enough, her target- Lennox- was there. Unfortunately, he was talking to Optimus and was way up on that damned walkway.

Did she mention she didn't like heights?

Bemoaning her situation inwardly, and trying to keep a smile outwardly, Lilah moved for the ladder and began making her way up with the folder held carefully in one hand. She focused on moving slowly and precisely. Falling was bad. Making contact with the ground was worse. She didn't want that.

Now up on the walkway, Lilah headed towards the duo who had yet to notice her.

Maybe, hopefully, she could just drop this off and run away. Right?

Right.

**(AN: Last chapter, someone let me know that it was difficult to tell story from note. So, I decided to use this fancy-shmancy bold print and those super cool letters at the front.**

**Anyway! In case you haven't noticed... I LOVE adjectives. Describing things? Yeah, I adore it. Unfortunately I have this little habit of 'over doing' it, as my last English teacher said.**

**She really hated it. And me. I think she was out to get me.**

**FUN FACT! I have a half chihuahua half weenier dog puppy named Ryou. :D And Miss C had a weenier dog puppy when she was around. Absolutely adored that thing, she did. It was like... a fat rolly-polly. So cute. :3**

**Okay, I'm done. Leave me a review with your thoughts? I personally think this one could use some major work. *Whispers* I don't think it's very good. But I'll leave that up to your discretion.)**


	3. Rain

Lilah stopped a short ways away from the large Autobot leader and his human conversationalist. Should she wait? Should she step up and offer the folder? Did she take a step back? Or maybe one forward? She was saved from her uneasy fidgeting and endless questions when Lennox turned to her, recognition lighting up his features.

Then he frowned, like a small child that was told he had to do lessons before he could play. "I don't wanna…" Lilah couldn't hear her superior, that was certain, but she was sure that he was whining like the petulant child he so resembled at the moment.

Smiling sympathetically, the blackette moved closer to him, and offered the folder to him as though it were a peace offering. Lennox pouted, but accepted the folder nonetheless despite his aversion to the responsibility.

The woman's arms dropped to her sides as her superior began flipping nonchalantly through the folder with distaste. To the side, she noted the Autobot leader's expression of amusement. He seemed all around good natured, and his kind presence set Lilah at ease, causing her to relax a little more despite how quiet he was at the moment.

Lennox flipped the folder closed sharply, causing the computer analyst to jump and stare at him with wide eyes, startled by the sudden movement. He smiled apologetically and held the folder back out to her. "Could you take this to Hangar 3? Deliver it to Epps, would you?" Feeling strangely pressured, Lilah nodded and accepted the folder.

She never could say no to anyone. Then again, she couldn't say no regardless, could she? He was her superior.

Turning, Lilah moved back to the ladder and headed down it carefully with the folder. The black haired woman could feel the Autobot watching her closely, tensed as if to make an effort to catch her should she fall. The notion warmed her heart, and, thankfully, she made it to the ground without any mishaps.

Her simple white tennis shoes hit the ground evenly, and she moved off without any issues.

The hallways were now bustling with bodies and the occasional bot. Lilah found it difficult to move through them all, but was persistent. She kept her smile and was as polite as she could be, given the circumstances. More often than not, a rude remark was sent her way, without care if she knew or not.

To be honest, it was… painful. When you're deaf, people don't stop to think if you know what they're saying or not. They just say whatever they like, and mostly ignore you. Lilah was all too familiar with it. But she kept her mouth shut, her smile in place, and continued on her way. Slip around that soldier, side step that large metal foot… smack into tha-

Ouch. Lilah landed on her rump, hand flying up to her face to cup her nose, which throbbed angrily.

The sensation of rumbling earth surrounded her, and she had to flail her free arm and brace it against the wall next to her to keep from falling over. It stopped as quickly as it had begun, and then there was the sudden sensation of leaving the ground. She may have screamed as she ascended from the ground, limbs flailing, but the sound was lost to her own ears. The soldiers below barely gave her a glance before continuing on their way.

Assholes, the lot of them.

Lilah was dropped onto something warm and metallic, though it had a certain softness to it, like skin, almost. She clenched her eyes shut, heart pounding wildly and breathing uneven. Fear clenched her chest in its tight coils, and she was quick to curl up into a ball.

She really did hate high places.

The surface beneath her body rumbled in a deep, pleasant symphony, and a large something gently ran down her back, as if petting her. The sensation, though strange, was oddly comforting and felt nice. After a few minutes, it managed to coax the deaf woman into uncurling and hesitantly looking around.

A hand. She was on a hand. A hand that belonged to the bot she had met yesterday. Bluestreak? Yes. Bluestreak.

Blinking, Lilah focused on him, carefully sitting up. His blue optics lit up as she did so, a smile curving onto his face plates and making him seem unbelievably young. Wincing, the blackette lifted a hand up to her still smarting nose and checked for damage. Coming to the conclusion that it was just bruised, she lowered her hand, pleased.

"Hi Lilah! We really should stop meeting like this." Blue joked, "Anyway, I'm really sorry I got in your way again. I honestly didn't mean to! Is your nose okay? Wait, it is called a nose, right…?" he trailed off, looking puzzled. Withholding a laugh, the computer techie nodded with a smile. "Oh! That's good then. Your nose seems alright, and I'm glad I got the term right. Do you mind telling me where you're headed?"

Lilah hesitated. Talking to this large being seemed a lot easier than yesterday. Yet, she didn't want to bother him. She'd already run into him twice… but now he was giving her those puppy dog eyes… dammit. Resigned to her fate, the deaf woman explained where she was going with mouthed words.

"Ah. I see! Well, I'm not doing anything at the moment; I'm actually off duty, you see, so I can take you there! Um… I mean, if you want me to. Well, I'd like to, but only if you're okay with it-" Bluestreak would have rattled on forever if given the chance. And, sensing this, Lilah decided to break in with a nod.

"Great! Hey, did you know that Hound has started keeping a herd of _cattle_-" smiling a little, she settled in to watch his mouth and lip-read as he rattled on about the cows and how cute and fluffy they were.

When you're deaf, when you can't hear someone's voice; no one wants to talk to you. Humans are such terribly selfish creatures. Such vain, sad beings. They spend so much time being concerned about their appearances, whether it be physically, socially, or otherwise; and so much time wasted preening themselves, that they became blind to those around them. Particularly those they found 'beneath' them.

Lilah fell into those categories. No one wanted to speak with her.

But Bluestreak- this… _alien_, was doing what not many of her own kind wanted to do. He was conversing with her, as if they were old friends. And he was doing so _enthusiastically._ While Maggie enjoyed talking to her and spending time with her, it wasn't so often. When the dirty blonde wasn't being overworked, she was trying to extra things to prove herself to their hard-assed security director.

Lunches and walks to and from the hotel were all Lilah had with her. And besides her, Lilah only had 'acquaintances' instead of friends. But Blue seemed to genuinely want to have a friendship with her. And Lilah couldn't help but to want that too.

So she conversed with him on their way to the hangar, a wider then normal smile on her face.

Bluestreak didn't even slow in his speech when they arrived at her destination, and to be honest, Lilah didn't want him to stop talking to her. His words seemed to chase away a cold loneliness that she hadn't known was occupying her very insides until now. It was a realization that made her stomach clench painfully, knowing that this would be over all too soon.

Soon, he would go back to his job, and she to her's. He was in the Autobot army, and she? Well, she was just a computer nerd with a handicap she couldn't help yet was blamed for. The thought was depressing, but Lilah didn't let it mar the smile that occupied her face. Why worry Blue? There was no reason to.

Said bot suddenly fell quiet, stopping in the hangar. "Guess this is your stop, huh?" Though his tone was lost to her, Lilah could see his achingly sad face; and wished she could hug him and squeeze all that damn sadness out of him. But instead, she settled for nodding and looking equally upset, if not more. "Hey, maybe we can talk again, right? I mean, we work in the same building; if you're not busy we could hang out!" Blue brightened back up, his optimistic nature shining through.

Lilah smiled and nodded as he knelt and spoke to her. Gently, he laid his flat hand against the ground so she could climb off safely. Stepping down from his hand, a brief thought occurred to the tiny human.

She wasn't so afraid of heights, so long as Blue was holding her.

It was strange, yes, but perhaps it was because she was beginning to grow to trust and like this large, soft sparked Autobot. That made sense. Bluestreak straightened, smiled down at her with a goodbye, then turned and left. Lilah stood a moment longer then she probably should have, waving after the big bot, before turning around and looking for Epps. Amber eyes trailed over every inch of the room.

Epps, for all of his skill, wasn't very good at hiding. That being said, it was rather easy to spot him in the crowd. The African-American tended to stand out. Currently, he was crouched behind one of the vehicles in the room. Were they called hummers? Lilah didn't know, she wasn't into cars at all.

Clutching the folder in one hand, amazed she had been able to keep a firm hold on it all this time, she headed over to the man-child trying to hide from his responsibilities. No wonder he and Lennox were friends.

Sighing, she stopped beside the vehicle, patiently waiting. Epps continued to stay right where he was, as if believing himself invisible. Rolling her eyes, Lilah reached out and tapped on his shoulder. The man jumped about a mile in the air before whirling on her with a startled look. Hiding her smile behind her free hand, the computer analyst offered the folder to him, amused by his antics.

She had never seen anyone look so disappointed.

It almost made her feel sorry for him. Almost. Had the others not made her carry the damn thing to her higher ups, she would have.

Pouting, Epps thanked her glumly and began going through the folder. Job finished, Lilah turned and headed back out the door. Without Blue, it would be much harder to get around. But she was sure she could make it back to her post.

Moving quickly, Lilah began the tiresome game of 'Don't Get Run Over'. A fun game, designed to help kids learn to dodge out of the way and stay clear of feet. Please note the sarcasm.

After several minutes of running and sidestepping, the blackette made it back to her station. Breathing hard, she slipped in and shut the door behind her. Feeling as if she were putting up a barrier between her and the outside world. Her fellow computer analysts glanced up and greeted her with a smile, eyes bright with amusement at her actions.

They always assumed she was 'over reacting' to everything on purpose. Which couldn't be farther from the truth. Lilah was, genuinely, afraid of the outside world. It was hard to keep up with the bustle and hustle of the crowd when she couldn't hear them. With so much going on at once, it was easy to get lost or hurt.

But Lilah didn't want to be pitied. Pity was… an awful emotion. She hated it.

Letting out a heavy breath through her nose, the amber eyed woman turned and moved back to her computer terminal, sitting down and focusing on the work ahead of her. Or at least, she would have, if one of her co-workers hadn't come over. Putting on her best smile, Lilah turned to the woman she could see approaching her from the side.

"Hey, Lilah?" The deaf woman nodded in response, letting her know that she understood, "Kevin needs those files uploaded in Section B." Lilah nodded again, and the woman left. The thought, 'Kevin can just go _fuck _himself.' crossed her mind, but she kept her smile, ignored it, and turned to do as she was told.

All the while resisting the urge to sigh.

It was going to be a very long day indeed.

By the end of the day, Lilah was so sick of uploading files, she wanted to throttle someone. But, instead of letting her psychopathic thoughts show, she kept her customary smile and finally shut down her computer.

But those who watched her swore they saw a vein throbbing outward from her left temple and her right eye twitching spastically.

Finished, Lilah heaved a sigh and got to her feet. Another long day of work completed. To be honest, she felt exhausted. So, without further hesitation, she promptly left her station and headed for the way out of the building. Like always, Lilah found herself dodging and weaving through the crowded hallway as everyone headed to supper.

She didn't feel very hungry. Besides, she had better food at home.

After several minutes of swimming through the sea of people, Lilah made it out the door…

Only to find that it was raining.

Lilah wanted to scream in frustration as she pressed against the wall of the base; the lip of the roof protecting her from the wet substance falling from the sky in angry torrents. Lightning lit up the depressingly gray sky, making her scowl in irritation. Her expression lifted, however, when a familiarly colored Datsun pulled up and opened up its passenger door. It idled there patiently as she blinked in surprise.

It had pulled up close enough that she needn't get wet to get in.

Not one to look a gifted horse in the mouth, Lilah slipped into the passenger seat, shivering at the cold wind whipping over the island. Once inside, the door shut, and the seat-belt slid over her chest and lap, clicking into place. The radio in the middle lit up, and words began to scroll at a moderate pace across the screen. 'Need a ride? I can take you back to the apartments, if you'd like."

Lilah couldn't help her smile. When she nodded, accepting, the Datsun took off through the pelting rain without hesitation.

**(AN: This is late. No, I'm not sorry. Cause you wanna know somethin'? It ain't my fault! 1. Mom dragged me off for shopping with my Nana. 2. MY INTERNET IS A PIECE OF SHIT. UGH. *Glares at it* And 3. has been meeeeeaaaaaaaaan to me! D: Meanie!**

**o3o In any case, I'm exploring a bit more with my writing and branching out a bit. Hope ya'll don't mind. Please enjoy!**

**Leave me a review with your thoughts? ALLOW ME TO MINE YOUR GRAY MATTER! XD)**


	4. Mud N' Zombies?

It was a little more difficult to keep up with Bluestreak's speech through the radio. Reading the words as they scrolled across the screen was hard at times. But Lilah, never one to turn down a challenge, did her best to do so.

Smiling, the blackette occasionally threw in her own two cents to his ramblings, finding herself to be enjoying this. It was just… fun. It was fun to be with Blue. To just talk and spend time with him. It was the simplest, most incredible thing she had ever done.

And she loathed that she would, in a few moments time, have to leave for her apartment. Still, for the moment she simply enjoyed herself. They spoke of everything and anything that came to mind, sinking into one another's company and presence.

Bluestreak's vehicle form drove through the pitch black of the night, headlights cutting through it easily. The rain continued to come down heavily, and mud occasionally splashed upwards, dirtying his outside.

The sniper, in all honesty, really didn't give a frag. He could shower later.

But, all good things must eventually come to an end. And so, in the next few minutes, Lilah found herself outside of her hotel, and not wanting to go inside. Unable to help her frown, the computer analyst felt her shoulders slump a little. The next few words that scrolled across the screen however, brightened her up a bit.

"Tomorrow is Saturday, right? Almost everyone gets the day off. Well, the weekend shift takes over, but everyone else is off! Would you mind if I came by to visit? I mean, only if you want to I know you humans get really busy and so-" Lilah laughed, cutting off the tirade of words tumbling across the screen.

Although she herself couldn't hear it, nor knew if it was even out loud, Blue certainly could. And he enjoyed the sound. It was just so light, and full of _life_. Yet, he could also tell she wasn't laughing _at _him, at least not in a cruel way, like other Cybertronians and humans did on occasion.

"Of course you can come over. I'll be ready for your arrival." Lilah signed with a smile, then opened his door and climbed out, unbuckling herself as she went.

However, she only felt the rain for a moment before Bluestreak transformed and crouched over her, protecting the small human from the pelting rain. He smiled down at her, optics glowing, frame protectively hunched over her. Lilah gaped up at him. She had almost forgotten about how tall and broad he was.

Almost.

"I believe it's customary for the mech to walk the femme to the door?" Lilah _swore _his tone was teasing in that instance. She grinned widely, and lifted her right hand up in the air towards his face. He smiled and placed the pointer finger of one of his servos into her palm. The computer analyst tightened her grip on the appendage slightly.

It was smooth and warm. And it stayed in her hand as she walked to the door of the hotel. Once she was under the roof's lip, Blue gently pulled his finger away and leaned back in the mud and rain. But in all honesty, he didn't seem to mind.

"See you tomorrow! I really hope we can do all kinds of fun things!" The sniper was obviously trying hard not to talk so much, but he continued to smile.

"See you tomorrow." Lilah mouthed, returning the goodbye with a grin, and entered the hotel to go take care of her waiting puppy, Mocha.

For a moment, the Autobot just sat there. The slippery wet Earth began to seep into the cracks of his armor, and the rain continued to hammer down on his form. Occasionally, lightning cracked across the sky, lighting everything up and closely followed by thunder. But he didn't pay attention to any of it.

His optics unfocused, expression thoughtful, Blue continued to stare at the hotel door. The sniper was broken out of his transfixed state when his com. link went off. Jumping a little, he hastily answered. "Bluestreak here. What do you need? I mean, its alright if you don't need something, it's just that normally people only call when they _do _need something. Which is fine, I mean-"

"Bluestreak." The soft, pleasant rumble of Optimus Prime, his leader, broke through his ramblings.

"Yes?" It came out as a squeak, sure he was going to get in trouble.

"Please report to Ratchet. He's been looking for you."

The young Autobot's door-wings drooped, but he mumbled his consent, switched the link off, and got to his feet. For a moment, he found his optics back on the little human's door. Then, tearing his gaze from it, he transformed down and took off back towards the base through the harsh rain and mud.

Why did it seem so empty and cold without Lilah there?

It was a question Bluestreak had no answer for. Nor any inkling or clue to. At the very least though, he had time to figure it out. There was no rush. Though, it would make him very happy if he could know the answer soon.

It was going to be a long night, and he knew it.

By the time morning had come, the storm had passed. The world outside was wet and dreary. The land itself was soggy, and a fog had rolled in across the ground in thick plumes of white. Lennox proclaimed it to be 'Zombie weather' and was now sitting in front of the base with Epps, hands on their weaponry and looking nervous.

Ratchet decided they had both been watching too many horror movies, and dismissed them at once.

Their words however, got Bluestreak's overactive imagination running. Lilah was out there. She was out there and she was alone with the other humans. He'd seen the Walking Dead and a few other zombie shows, for gods sake. And he knew humans used each other as bait and sacrificial pieces if it meant they got to live.

He didn't trust them.

And so, it wasn't very surprising that in the next instance, Blue was transformed down and peeling out of there like hell itself was on his ass. Before he'd even got halfway out the door, the young Autobot had convinced himself that the human was in danger.

Epps and Lennox barely managed to leap aside as Bluestreak zoomed past, tires squealing against the pavement. "Where's he going in such a rush?" The major questioned in a mutter, to which his African-American friend simply shrugged.

The sniper, meanwhile, was hauling ass across across the island. Already, he could see the hotel coming into his sights. A cackle of energy, a focused thought, and he had his holoform in the driver seat. It gripped the wheel tightly, mirroring his own terror and panic.

.

Its wispy, blue-gray hair was pulled back into a low ponytail in a playful style and its bright blue eyes glowed as they stared out of the car windshield. Blue parked sideways by the hotel, tires screeching in protest and letting out the smell of burnt rubber.

His holoform had leaped from his true form before he had even come to a full stop.

Bluestreak was fairly certain the zombies were already inside. After all, why else was it so quiet outside? Could it be… perhaps they had already eaten everyone inside?! No! "I'm gonna save you, Lilah!" The sniper declared to himself, and promptly charged into the hotel, eyes flicking to every knook and cranny for the small human or the zombies.

The lobby was completely empty, however, save for a lone fly buzzing about.

Deciding that an elevator would take too long, Bluestreak took the stairs two at a time, legs stretching to move faster. The entire hotel was silent, a notion he found disturbing as he leaped up the stairs as quick as he could. Yet, he also made sure to be quiet. Sneaking up on the zombies, if possible, was a plus.

The information in the database that he could access via internet signal, was very helpful. In no time at all, he was standing outside Lilah's door. Hurriedly, he began knocking. Maybe the zombies hadn't gotten to her yet? Shit! Maybe they were outside the hotel right now! Or… maybe they had already gotten into her apartment and-

The door opened and Lilah blinked up at him in confusion, cradling a yipping, very upset puppy.

"Oh! It's so cute!" For a moment, Bluestreak completely forgot about his personal mission, fawning over the small creature in the human's arms. Then, remembering why he had come so early, his eyes darted around quickly to make sure none of the flesh addicts were sneaking up on them.

Lilah stepped to the side, jerking her head to the side in an invitation into her home, a tired smile gracing her face. She was still in her pajamas, which consisted of a black tanktop and a pair of flannel sweatpants. Hurriedly, Blue stepped inside, his eyes searching for the evil he was certain was waiting to eat his friend.

Or maybe even him. Could zombies eat holoforms and Cybertronians? Blue hoped he never had to find out.

Lilah set her pup down; and the creature set to sniffing his feet and legs, occasionally snorting or sneezing. It was utterly adorable, and he couldn't help but to coo at it, forgetting his mission for a moment- yet again.

Then there was a hand waving in front of his face to get his attention. Blinking, he straightened and refocused on Lilah, who was frowning, looking sleepy. She made several hand motions, using sign language to speak to her friend as she was too tired to try and speak. "Why am I here?" She nodded in confirmation to his question; the question she had asked him just a moment prior.

"Well, Lennox said that it was perfect zombie weather, and then Epps agreed, and now their sitting outside the base's doors with their weapons! And Sunny and Sides kept snickering and saying that zombies were gonna eat all the humans! But Ratchet seemed sceptical, but he kept checking outside so I think-"

Another gesture of the hands.

"I came here as fast as I could because I was sure they were gonna eat you! Where are they? I'll protect you, Lilah! I won't let them eat you!" Bluestreak was looking around frantically, as if a zombie was going to leap around the corner at any moment and lunge for them. Lilah hid her smile behind a hand.

It was sweet that he wanted to check on her and keep her safe. He honestly seemed to believe that they were real, and was going to fight them to protect her. The notion warmed her heart and sent giddy butterflies swooping through her stomach. Still… the computer analyst didn't want him to cause more ruckus and wake her neighbors.

That would end badly.

Blue was now focused back on her, eyes worried and expression questioning. Smiling at him, trying to be reassuring, Lilah began to explain some things to him through sign language. For several moments, he merely watched her hands fly through the motions, confused. The black haired woman had to resist giggling at the way his head slowly tilted to the side and his expression took on a dumbfounded look.

"You mean, zombies aren't real? But Lennox and Epps! And the twins!" He fell silent as she continued to explain before making a noise of understanding, "Oh. They say I have an overactive imagination too sometimes." he flushed a soft blue color, highly embarrassed, "I'm really sorry! I shouldn't have woken you up so early! I won't do it again! I mean, if there is a 'again', I understand if you don't ever want me over ever again-"

Lilah waved his words away with one hand and swallowed thickly before speaking in a hoarse voice that she herself could not hear. Her other hand touched down on her throat so she could feel the vibrations and keep up with the words.

"It's alright Bluestreak, I was going to get up anyway. Why don't you join me for breakfast?" At her words, he visibly brightened.

"You mean that? I mean, I can go back to base and come back later if you'd like. It is pretty early and-" She waved his words away again with a shake of her head and a kind smile.

Still smiling, Lilah took hold of his hand and pulled him towards the kitchen.

He followed, the puppy jumping up and nipping at his free hand as they moved. It seemed she was trying to get his attention. Leaning forward a little so his companion could see his lips moving, he spoke up, "So what's her name?"

"Mocha. She's very spoiled." Lilah grinned at him before releasing his hand in favor of fixing breakfast in her small, humble kitchen. Blue, moving carefully so he didn't accidentally hurt the baby, sat down at the round table with four chairs around it. They weren't the softest, but the chair he had chosen supported his weight easily.

Instantly, Mocha had leaped into his lap. He couldn't help his laugh as she leaned up on her hind legs, and pressed her front paws to his chest, tail wagging wildly and tongue repeatedly darting out to try and lick his face. But she had misjudged the distance, and so it didn't even touch him. Bluestreak grinned and began scratching her gently.

Mocha soaked up the attention like a sponge, whining happily.

He was broken from his spoiling of the puppy when Lilah set her bowl of cereal down at the table and took a seat across from him. Fascinated, he watched as she dug into her morning meal, crunching through it with the occasional yawn.

When she looked up at him, Blue found his mouth opening and a question popping out, unbidden. Around her, he just couldn't seem to be quiet. Lilah was one of the few that didn't tell him to shut up, or call him annoying. She didn't even seem irritated at his rambling; and so, it made it very easy to talk to her.

"So what are we doing today?"

**(AN: AS PROMISED! A chapter every Saturday to Sunday. Today is Valentines and I am alone. Fuck. I SHOULD BE CUDDLING WITH A SIGNIFICANT OTHER BUT I'M LACKING A SIGNIFICANT OTHER SO HAVE A CHAPPY!**

**I'm sad. Oh well.**

***Ahem* Bluestreak strikes me as a talkative, slightly hyper-active youngling with an overactive imagination. As such, that's how I'll be writing him. Because I can't write someone like I don't see them.**

**I GOTTA TELL THE TRUTH MAN. I'M AN HONEST PERSON. TO THE CORE. LYING? WTF IS LYING?**

**I'm drunk on chocolate. Its amazing. Also, I love tea. All kinds of tea.**

**Review and let me mine your gray matter? It helps me to grow as a person and a writer. It also makes me very happy when people take the time to review! :D It means you REALLY enjoyed the story, right? Either that or you really hated it. Whatever your flavor o' drink is. :3)**


	5. Weekend

Five minutes after breakfast, Lilah had introduced Bluestreak to something called an 'Xbox 360'. Currently, he was sitting on the couch, having a staring contest with the white metal box. It sat innocently enough, but he swore he could feel the vibes of pure evil coming off of it. Maybe it was just him.

The Autobot watched as his human friend powered it up and turned the T.V. on with fascination.

There was a bright flash of white light, mixed with green, before it focused on a sort of main menu. Blue had to blink the dark splotches from his sight as Lilah took her seat next to him with the controller. Primus above that was bright!

It only took a few moments to clear his vision. When he did, the human was holding out another controller for him with a smile. While her's was white, the one she held out to him was black. It looked smooth, elegant, and felt as much when he accepted it. "So what's this for? What are we doing? That was really bright earlier. I hope it doesn't happen again. It hurt my eyes." Bluestreak chattered easily.

Lilah grinned and pointed at the screen icon, the one with a strange symbol on it and the words, 'Halo Reach' underneath. "Oh." His answer was simplistic as she clicked the icon with her controller, causing the screen to change in a rush of color and confusion. PRIUMS! BRIGHT! OW! Blue covered his eyes with a hand. While it wasn't doing any damage to him, it was annoying and blinding.

When he finally lowered his hand, blinking harshly to banish more splotches away, the little human was worriedly looking up at him. With her large eyes examining him for injury, and brow that was furrowed upwards, she just looked so-

"CUTE!" With a lunge and squeal, Bluestreak had Lilah wrapped up in a hug of death. The human flailed a little, panicked. But even she could not escape the over excited sniper. So, she held still, letting the chatty Autobot squeeze the ever living daylights out of her whilst crooning something or another she couldn't hear.

After a moment, Blue released her, looking mightily embarrassed. "I'm really sorry, but you looked super adorable and I just couldn't help-" Lilah shook her head with a laugh she failed hear, her face graced with her customary smile. It was contagious, and the sniper couldn't help but to join in. Grinning widely now, she pushed the black, sleek controller into his hands. "Let's play." The words had the Autobot turning towards the screen.

Lilah bounced excitedly at his side on the couch. He had no idea what he was getting into.

Explosions flared across the screen. "FRAG! FRAG! LOOK OUT!" The squeal went unheard by his companion, "TANK! THEY'VE GOT A TANK! Oooooooo~ A ghost!" Lilah wanted to giggle at the childish antics she could see in the corner of her eye, but instead bit her bottom lip to contain it.

For the first thirty minutes or so, she had put them both through the 'fire fight', to get used to the controls. After Bluestreak seemed comfortable, she began playing through the campaign with him. She found it utterly adorable how into the story he was getting. Not to mention the game itself. He made a kickass sniper in-game, and she imaged he was just as good out of game as he was in.

Buttons were mashed, controllers shook, explosions happened and aliens died.

It was a good day.

Three hours in and Bluestreak insisted they shut it off at least for a little bit, claiming that it was harmful to Lilah's eyes. The human had laughed a bit at that- what _wasn't _harmful to humans?- but let him have his way and shut off the Xbox 360.

The computer analyst rolled to her feet, yawning, and began to stretch, still in her pajamas. Blue leaned back a little, feeling his body outside stretching itself slightly after being still and in one place for so long. Especially compacted into that restricting car form. The thought made the sniper want to unfold himself and stand up.

That gave him an idea, actually.

"Lilah." Luckily, she had just turned around to look at him, "Would you like to go on a walk with me?" The human blinked for a moment at the smiling Autobot before grinning cheerfully and nodding. A walk sounded good right at that instance. She held up a finger, a silent way of telling him to wait a moment, and then ran for her bedroom.

If Lilah was going anywhere, she needed clothes. There was no way she would leave in her pajamas. Whilst waiting for her, Blue got to his feet and stretched a moment, before directing his holoform towards the front door. His eyes looked over everything as he moved over to the entrance, interested. Small knick-knacks and decorations sat here and there among her apartment. It seemed she enjoyed little breakables.

Bluestreak thought they looked adorable.

Not a moment later, Lilah stepped out of her bedroom and over to him, dressed in her usual simple jeans, tennis shoes and short sleeved shirt. Her black curls had been thrown up into a high ponytail, keeping it out of her face. "Shall we go? I'd like to see the beach! The seagulls make such interesting sounds! Oh, sorry, I didn't mean any disrespect… I mean, didn't mean to upset you or anything!"

The human smiled and laughed it off, waving a hand in response. Her cheerful demeanor seemed to put the sniper at ease. Together, they stepped out the door and made their way down to the lobby. Lilah kept up with his words by watching his lips, 'listening' to him patiently as he went on about the ocean and its wondrous attributes.

It was interesting to hear about her world from the mind of an alien.

Lilah was _very _surprised when, upon stepping out the door with Blue, got a face full of blue sparks. It was when he was in mid speech, nonetheless. Grimacing, she waved the tingly blue lights away from herself. Though momentarily blinded by them, she could hear the sound of the Autobot transforming to his full height.

Upon getting the sparkles out of her face, Lilah found the light of the sun blocked out by Bluestreak's large metallic form. She watched in awe as he took a moment to stretch, seeming to relish the free movement. Cables pulled taut as he did so, leaving no slack as he pushed them to their limits. He had the position for a moment before allowing his body to go lax, pleased with the resulting feeling that followed.

_Much _better.

Lilah took a step back as Bluestreak knelt, and extended a hand, palm up, to her. She took a moment to brace herself before carefully climbing aboard. Immediately, the little human wrapped her arms around one of Blue's digits. As always, the fear of being high up in the air struck her hard. But it wasn't as bad as normal.

For some reason, she felt far more safe with him, then with any other bot or elevated structure.

The ground was still blessed though, and she still preferred it over else. Bluestreak seemed to know of her fear, and took great care to cradle her near his chest, where she was safest. Lilah, herself, didn't notice this.

Once she was settled, the sniper began to make his way around the hotel and over the sixty some feet that separated them from the beach. His long strides overtook it in no time at all. One of the perks of being a roughly thirty foot tall robot.

Lilah leaned back in his hand slightly to better see his face. This way, she could keep up with the conversation. Bluestreak had politely waited until she could see his mouth before he started talking again. He jabbered the whole way to the beach, and continued to talk to her as they moved down the beach's side. It was… calming. The rolling of the waves, the clear sky, the circling of the seagulls…

It was all so relaxing. And the best part of it all? Bluestreak.

The realization turned Lilah's cheeks pink. Luckily, the chatty sniper didn't notice. For the moment, anyway.

The Autobot continued to speak of the beach, Earth, and just about anything else that came to his mind, a grin on his face and a mouth that never seemed to stop. But the computer analyst was okay with that. This bot was doing what others were fearful to.

Talk to her.

And then, in the midst of it all- he stopped. Just straight up stopped. Bluestreak halted in his tracks, mouth snapping shut and eyes dimming. For several moments he was still and quiet. Those door wings adorning his back- which Lilah hadn't truly noticed until now- fluttered slowly back and forth. Like cautiously flapping wings. Worriedly, she leaned towards his chest more, keeping his face in sight.

After a moment, his eyes lit back up. But now, they had an almost frightening gleam to them. His mouth was set in a line, and his wings had stiffened. "Bluestreak…?" Her soft, unsure, questioning voice failed to touch her own ears. But that had not been her intent. Like she had hoped, they snapped him from his current state of mind.

The sniper blinked. Once. Twice. Then softened as he focused on her.

"I'm really, really sorry Lilah! But the big bot called. I got called on a recon mission to look into some 'Con activity. Will you be okay by yourself? They say I gotta be there, like, right _now _and-"

His expression was heartbreakingly, sincerely regretful. Lilah stood carefully on his hand, and gently hugged part of his face.

Her way of telling him it was alright. That it would all be okay.

"I'll be alright, Blue. You don't need to worry. Put me down and head that way, yeah?" Her words were wobbly as she herself couldn't monitor them like others. But Blue understood. Gently, he reached up a moment with the hand she wasn't standing on to cup her to his face. She couldn't see his face clearly, and so he didn't speak. He simply returned the gesture, and hoped she understood his meaning.

Careful not to harm her in any way, the Autobot knelt and laid his hand down for her to get off of. Lilah didn't need to be told twice. As quick as she was safely able to do, she hopped down and moved back to a safe distance, raising a hand to wave a little. Blue returned the action before swiftly transforming down and taking off in his Datsun form.

Lilah stood a moment, watching him hurry to the main hangar, before turning and making her way back towards the hotel, watching the water as she did so. It lapped against the shore, peaceful and slow.

No longer was it foggy, and barely any excess water remained. The sun had burned the sitting clouds away, and had evaporated most of the water that had made the ground soggy and muddy from the storm.

Lilah paused a moment, some hundred or two feet from the hotel.

All she could think, was that this was going to be a _very _long walk. And her feet and knees were already beginning to ache from the three hundred some feet she had already come. She was no lazy couch potato; but she wasn't an athlete either. The human was not a giant alien robot. And, thus, could not clear the same amount of distance in the same amount of time, either. The thought, in and of itself, was tiring.

Though she didn't hear it, Lilah _did _see the large, four wheeled vehicle skid to a stop in front of her at a safe distance. It was a deep greenish-gray, and lacked a roof. That being said, it made it easy to see who was driving.

There, in the seat, hands on the wheel, was Maggie.

She looked much better than she had before, though slight bags remained along with some wrinkles. Still, the blonde grinned at the deaf woman, stood up in her seat slightly with one hand on the metal part of the windshield, and waved to her. "Need a ride?" Grinning, Lilah nodded and ran to her only human friend.

Though Blue was fast becoming another of her friends.

She slipped into the passenger seat, next to Maggie, and leaned back, buckling herself in. The blonde sat back down in her seat, re-buckled, and put the vehicle in drive. The hacker smirked a moment, fiddling with the controls, before stomping on the gas and sending the jeep like car into overdrive.

Wide eyed, Lilah grabbed hold of her seat. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea; her friend might just get her killed!

Thankfully though, Maggie didn't get her killed, and instead, they raced over the land, away from the sand and where they could get better traction.

Still, the deaf woman's stomach jumped and rolled every time the metal death can's tires left the road slightly, sending her into a dizzying panic.

So she clung to her seat tightly and prayed that Maggie would stop the car soon.

**(AN: This is late. I am sorry.**

**...Wait, no I'm not. Because it wasn't my fault the website wouldn't let me post. So there.**

**LOOK! THEIR SPENDING TIME WITH ONE ANOTHER! LOVE WILL BLOOM. EVENTUALLY.**

**Also, Maggie is back. Hah.**

**You all should also know that Lilah's personality and mental thoughts are completely based off Miss C's. She would often describe things to me through her eyes... its come in rather handy here...**

**Leave me a review with your thoughts, ya? :D I love those!)**


	6. Slumber Parties N' Silly Lambos

The car ride had been terrifying. It was a saving grace when Maggie finally pulled to a stop.

Lilah's heart was pounding so hard, she thought she'd die of fright. Her nails had managed to pierce through the leather seat, and her knuckles had long since turned white. She felt like she was frozen in place, her joints all locked up. Her eyes were glued straight ahead as her heart slowed in its pumping, back to normal.

A slim hand waved in front of her face, causing the computer analyst to jump.

Slowly, forcefully, Lilah removed her fingers from the seat below her. Her knuckles let out little pops and cracks that her ears were not privileged to hear. Maggie was fighting back a guilty smile, in which the black haired woman scowled in response to. The blonde unbuckled and shut the death ride down.

The deaf woman swore she was going to have a heart attack and gray hair by the end of all this. And it was all Maggie's fault. She sent another glare at the woman just to make sure that she knew what she'd done. The hacker didn't even have the sense to look guilty. Cheeky jerk face. Ah, well, what was done was done.

Lilah, not one to hold a grudge, sighed, brushed it off, and returned to her normally cheerful self.

Unbuckling herself, she swung out of the vehicle, joining Maggie at the front of the jeep. "So, what have you been up to?" Linking her arm through the deaf woman's, the blonde tried to start up a conversation. Putting a hand up to her throat to feel the vibrations, Lilah began to slowly, carefully fill the hacker in.

Talking without being able to hear yourself was hard. But the little female managed. She always did. And Maggie listened closely, nodding every once in awhile as she and Lilah moved into the lobby of the hotel and into the elevator. The hacker hated the stairs with a passion. Thus, when she was with Lilah, they always took the metal box.

The deaf woman thought that this was a pity. She always found great amusement in the creative curses Maggie threw at them.

As the elevator moved up, the blonde took her turn in filling Lilah in on her recent adventures. Lilah, in turn, carefully watched the hacker's lips move so as to keep up with her words. Maggie had mostly been sleeping it seemed, though when she had attempted to get back to work, Red Alert had _personally _seen her back out the door.

She was on leave, doc's orders, and she was _not _happy about it.

The other woman had to chuckle at that. Leave it to Maggie to be upset about getting kicked out of work.

Her laughter earned her a scowl and a light punch to the side before the woman began to pout. She honestly liked her work; she was passionate about it and always gung ho and on the job when they needed her to be. The poor blonde just didn't like the people she worked with very well, something that amused Lilah to no end.

But ah well, it would all work out eventually.

Together, they stepped off the elevator, and headed down the hall to Lilah's room. They continued to talk along the way, trading thoughts and joking with one another. Maggie seemed glad not to be sleeping anymore, and the deaf woman was more than happy to be able to talk with her friend again.

They slipped into the apartment, shutting the door after them, and moved to settle into the living room. As they had so many times before, they curled up on opposite ends of the couch and began to visit.

There was nothing forced or rushed about it. No need to get anything done, or to fake it. It was simply… visiting. Just two friends enjoying one another's company. No work, no stress, no fear, no missions… just… visiting. And up until that moment, Lilah hadn't even realized how much she needed it. It felt so… normal. So easy. It was like a comforting security blanket wrapping around her shoulders and encasing her in warmth.

Maggie, now completely at ease, began to poke and prod at Lilah's earlier retelling of her day.

"So, what? You just let him come over? Just like that?" the deaf woman raised an eyebrow at that. Was it really so hard to believe? "Hey, hey! Its not my fault you _never _have anyone besides me enter your home like this!" the blonde raised her hands in a 'I'm innocent!' gesture that had Lilah snorting in an undignified way.

"In any case…" Maggie grinned suddenly, playful. Instantly, the black haired female was wary. "How cute is his holoform, on a rank of one to ten?"

The other woman choked on air, making the blonde laugh. Lilah glared at her. _Oh, _so _that _was her game, was it?

"So do you like him?" This, the silent woman mused, was quickly turning into one of those dreaded 'girl talks', and fast. Unimpressed, Lilah raised her eyebrow yet again, making the hacker snicker. They continued in this way, though the topic changed many times over until neither remembered what the original conversation was about.

Bluestreak was forgotten for awhile. Though he lurked in the back of Lilah's mind.

In what seemed like mere minutes later, the computer analyst happened to glance up at the clock, and blinked in dumbfounded surprise. Well then, it looked like time _did _fly when you were having fun. Though, instead of sending Maggie home, she offered the blonde a place to stay for the night.

They did, after all, have the day off tomorrow, right? In any case, it would be like a slumber party. The invitation was one the blonde was more than happy to accept and act on. Before Lilah knew it, the hacker had practically taken complete control of her apartment.

Not that she minded.

Smiling and rolling her eyes, Lilah stood and moved for the kitchen to get them both hot cups of tea whilst Maggie fired up her rather old xBox 360. The sound of its loud, laborious hum was lost to her. However, it did attract a highly concerned look from the blonde, who wondered if it was going to explode on her or turn into a damned Decepticon.

Thankfully, however, it came to life without doing either one of them and brought up the main menu after a moment. Maggie took this as her cue to search through her friend's collection of games and movies, searching for something to either play or watch. And at first, nothing special caught her eye.

Lilah returned after a few minutes, cradling a mug of hot tea in each hand as she moved across the living room. She set both containers down on the coffee table and settled back into the couch, knowing better than to bother her friend until she was done. That usually ended sourly, something she wanted to avoid at all times.

The last thing she needed was a shoe to the face.

Maggie's hand darted deep within the dark shelves of Lilah's bookshelf before ripping the movie 'RED' from its precious confines with a victory cry that the black haired woman didn't hear. She smile however, at the little dance the blonde did before she put it in the waiting machine and pushed it in.

Shoving off of her feet, the hacker threw herself next to Lilah onto the couch, grabbing her tea on the way. The deaf woman merely smiled and shook her head, reaching out to grab the remote from her nearly empty coffee table. Yawning a little, she skipped through all the junk, got to the menu, and turned on the subtitles.

Pleased, she then hit play and returned the handy little device to its resting place.

Maggie was practically vibrating with excitement by the end of it.

Lilah smiled widely, leaned back, and simply enjoyed the movie involving the CIA, and Morgan Freeman.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Bluestreak was a rather cheerful person, according to others. Much like Lilah, he was almost never seen without a smile, and always had something at least remotely positive to say unless there were severe odds stacked against them. It was very hard _not _to get along with Blue. And it was even harder to have him upset with you.

But right now?

Right now the sniper was very, _very _upset with the Decepticons.

They had ruined his perfectly nice day with his new friend, made him leave her nearly three miles out from her home, forced him to _trek through a dense forest_, and _wade _through a swam. He was dirty, nasty, covered in mud, leaves, sticks, and _who knows what else_… and he was a very much unhappy mech.

Cheerful Blue? Gone. Out the window. Bloop.

His partners, the terror twins, weren't much happier. In fact, he was pretty sure they were less happy than he was. _Oh, when they found those 'Cons-! They were in for such a BEATING!_

Movement caught his optic, and Bluestreak found himself leaping and rolling before he even had a chance to think. He didn't even have to warn the twins. The once brightly colored Lambos were now all over the 'Cons and tearing into them.

He didn't even get a chance to draw his sniper rifle.

The battle was over quickly, thanks to the pissed off ex-gladiators. The enemy had turned out to just be drones. At the insistence of Sunstreaker, they took a break in the least dirty, dense spot they could find in the Primus forsaken wilderness they had been sent to. Bluestreak was, admittedly, glad for it.

Once they sat down, the golden warrior immediately started whining and complaining about his paint. Sideswipe just sighed, rolled his optics, and turned to the sniper with a grin. "So, Blue, gotta question for you…" The cherry red Lambo's words had the youngling tensing up and mentally preparing himself.

Even Sunstreaker shut up to listen, optics gleaming with the knowledge of what was to come out of the red devil's mouth.

"What about the human femme of yours, huh?" He wasn't expecting that. Not at all. His optics reset and shuttered at Side's _bold _question.

"My hu- I don't know what your- What do you-?!" Blue's normally quick glossa was all tied in knots. And so were his tanks.

Somehow, that phrase seemed… _intimate_. In a way he was not familiar with.

Sideswipe began to crow with laughter, Sunstreaker snickered, and Bluestreak gave them both very stern, unimpressed looks. After they had calmed, the red irritance began to poke and prod more at the sniper, getting a kick out of his reactions. Tease after tease left the frontliner's lips, backed up by his twin.

Huffing, done with all of this by the tenth question, Blue jerked to his pedes. "We should go, the 'Cons are probably on the move and Optimus-"

"Yeah, yeah. Spoilsport." Sides groaned, standing, followed by a grumbling, upset Sunny. The sniper simply rolled his optics. Typical of them to cut him off before he was even halfway done. Fed up with the twin's antics, he turned and started into the dense foliage again.

"Hey, Blue?" The sniper didn't know why he stopped at Sideswipe's words. Maybe it was the serious tone, or maybe it was how quiet he was. Whatever it was, it stilled his pedes and refused to let him move any further.

"Do you like her? I mean, like-like her. More than a friend." Bluestreak frowned in confusion, looking over his shoulder at the warrior. Sides was staring at him intently, with all the concern of a friend. Did he? Did he consider Lilah to be more than a friend? Seriously, without joking and teasing, did he?

The sniper didn't know. The thought in and of itself made his spark warm and his face heat up.

But other then that?

Perhaps it was too early to tell. Maybe he needed more time. Either way, Sides needed an answer now or he would hound Bluestreak until he got one. So he gave him the truth. "I don't know. I don't think so, I mean, I've only known her for a few days. But she's really considerate and kind- she listens to me and doesn't tell me to be quiet or that I'm annoying or that I need to go away-"

"Yeah, yeah." Sides groaned, "I don't want to know about her, I was just wondering, yeesh." he huffed, then grinned, "But you know, if you ever need help with… you know…" he wiggled his optic ridges.

The action would be rather hilarious to any human. It just looked so ridiculous when Sideswipe did it.

"We can give you some pointers." Sunstreaker butted in with a chuckle and a dark grin. Blue felt his faceplates turn cobalt. Whipping his helm around, Bluestreak quickly began moving through the foliage, nervously, panickedly babbling on about the mission and how they should finish it up quickly so they could get back and clean up.

The twin's laughter could probably be heard all the way back at base.

The sniper swore he was never going on a mission with those two ever again.

This one was both long, and painful enough as it was.

**(AN: In which the twin's and Maggie decide that teasing is the best course of action. Gawddammit guys! D: Be nice!**

**You should also know that at this point; I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA WHAT I'M DOING ANYMORE. Oh well. All will be alright.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chappie and leave me a review with your thoughts, yeah? :D)**


	7. Le Wild Autobot Appears!

Lilah didn't know exactly what time she passed out. But when she woke, her neck and spine ached with a vengeance. Raising her head was a pain in the ass. A series of cracking noises snapped through the air from the length of her neck as the deaf woman resituated herself on her couch, wincing. Of course, she didn't hear the noises fit for a zombie getting its head wacked off with a shovel.

But she sure as hell felt the awful popping sensations.

Wincing painfully, amber eyes took in their surroundings. Maggie was laid against the opposite end of the couch, head tilted back against the back of the piece of furniture and just about drooling on herself. Lilah was laying against the other side of the couch, curled up. Silently groaning, she uncurled and began to stretch.

Maggie didn't even twitch at the movement.

Satisfied and feeling better, though still unbelievably sore, Lilah rolled off the couch and onto her feet. She swayed a moment before gaining her balance. Stumbling a bit, the computer analyst made her way to the kitchen. Sunday. Today was her last day off until the next weekend. Man did time fly when you were having fun. Sighing a little at the thought, the human began making a pot of coffee.

Rule number one: Do not speak to Lilah _or _Maggie until they have had at _least _two cups of coffee. Not following this rule could possibly lead to loss of limb or life. The mental thought made the black haired woman chuckle as the coffee began to brew. Yawning widely, she leaned on the counter as she watched the black liquid of the gods fall like rain into the glass pot. The sight brought a smile to her lips.

Just a little bit longer and she would have her sweet, dark, bitter nectar. Though, while she was waiting, she might as well get dressed, right?

Lilah was quick to throw on a clean pair of underwear, bra, shirt and pants. Before she knew it, she was back in the kitchen before the liquid had even finished brewing. But that was alright. She didn't care much. Lilah could wait, she was patient. And so she waited, with a smile tugging at her lips with excitement at the prospect of getting a swig of that delicious drink. Oh how it would be so warm and revitalizing!

When the cued beeping of the machine sounded, Maggie stumbled in, grasping at the air in front of her whilst making desperate grunting noises that her companion could not hear. Much like Lilah, the blonde lived off of coffee. Her current state, however, keenly reminded the amber eyed woman of a zombie. The thought brought a smile to her face.

In a few minutes, they had both fixed themselves a cup and settled around Lilah's homey round table. They sat in silence, sipping on the hot liquid, too tired to visit. Every single time after this happened, Lilah would promise to never do it again since it was a bad idea. It just made her tired and sore. Yet every single time afterwards she'd do it all over again like a dumbass. Ah well, at least she got to spend time with Maggie.

Said blonde was now asleep with her head on the table, snoring slightly with the cup of coffee in hand. Smiling slightly, feeling more sociable and able now that she had had at least one cup of caffeine; Lilah reached over and gently shook her friend awake. She needed to stay up and not sleep all day. That would throw her schedule way out of wake.

Maggie sat up slowly, blinking ahead dazedly as she struggled to stay with the waking world.

After several more minutes and two cups of coffee each- which involved brewing another pot- the two women felt more able and ready. Lilah rubbed her face with another tired, wide yawn. More awake? Yes. Any less tired? No. And it seemed that Maggie shared her sentiments. The blonde kept looking towards her friend's bedroom with a longing look, no doubt thinking of the large, soft bed waiting beyond the door.

It made Lilah smile in amusement. Waving a hand in front of her companion's face, she waited a moment for Maggie to pay attention to her. Once she was focusing on the deaf woman, the black haired female took the time to question the other woman. "What are we doing today?" Maggie blinked at her blankly for several moments, eyes still glazed over with exhaustion as her poor brain struggled to comprehend what was being asked.

"Uh… Ah'dunno." The last word was a slurred together mess as the blonde shrugged in response. It made Lilah giggle. Her friend was such a goof sometimes. Though the amber eyed woman didn't hear it, Maggie's phone chose that moment to go off. In a flailing, panicked manner, the woman ripped it out of her pocket and took a look at it. "Dammit. Low battery." The mutter was irritated, "And… their calling me in _again_?!" While Lilah had no idea how her friend sounded or of the tone she spoke in…

She could damn well read expressions and lips. Mentally putting emotion to these motions wasn't hard. And she knew Maggie was obviously frustrated and upset. The scowl she aimed at the phone's screen made Lilah glad she wasn't on the receiving end of the blonde's wrath. "I'm real sorry Li'." The hacker shot her a regretful look as she stood from the table.

Lilah waved it away. "You do what you gotta do." Smiling reassuringly at her friend, the black haired woman did her best to answer. Maggie returned the smile, relieved her friend wasn't upset. "Thanks." Leaning over, she took a moment to hug the deaf woman before hurrying for the door, twisting her head to call out a goodbye before she left. Lilah just smiled and waved. The door opened, then shut.

Hiding her friend away from her.

Hearing the door, Mocha popped awake from her spot underneath the cabinet, where heat had a tendency to get trapped, and slid out. Barking excitedly, she raced for the wooden entrance. When she got close, the puppy tried to put on the brakes a stop. Unfortunately, her nails had no traction and the floor was tiling.

The poor pup slid straight into the door with a thudding noise. But she was undeterred. Impatient, Mocha leaped back to her feet, leaned up on her hind legs, and braced herself against the door, still barking. Laughing a little to herself at her pup, Lilah took to her feet and headed over to her baby. No doubt she had to go potty. So, smiling, the woman knelt and hooked the dog up to the leash hanging by the doorframe.

"Let's go outside, huh?" Deaf ears were met with a happy bark.

It was bright. Almost too bright. For a moment, Lilah clenched her teeth and blinked back reflexive tears in an attempt to get used to it. It _burned_. Thankfully, it passed after a few moments, allowing her to see without pain. The sun, admittedly, was not always her friend. In fact, it tried to hurt her more often than not.

The weather was nice. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was warm with an occasional chilly breeze. Jacket, not winter coat weather. Very nice. Smiling widely, Lilah made sure to turn back and grab the light jacket hanging on her plastic coat rack by the door. Light blue in color, it brought out her eyes and accented her hair. It was, honestly, her favorite article of clothing and never passed up a chance to wear it if she could help it.

Soft on the inside and stretchy, it fit like a glove and felt comfortable. Lilah didn't hesitate to slip it on, though she did leave it unzipped. No need to overheat and sweat to death.

The woman was brought out of her thoughts as Mocha yanked on the end of her leash, trying to get out of the hotel.

Laughing a little at the pup, Lilah followed after her.

Together, they trailed down the steps and out the door. Immediately, Mocha raced onto the dirt and grass, and squatted. While the dog did her business, the human looked out over their surroundings. The rain had mostly evaporated and the day was looking to be nap weather, as Lilah's older, lazier brother would say.

The thought of the laid back male made the deaf woman chuckle. Oh yes, he'd probably be settling down for an all day snooze right about now. He probably took off of work just to do so. Sleeping, it seemed, was his favorite hobby. Lilah shook her head in amusement and exasperation. Such a pain in the neck. But still, he was her big brother. How was he doing? How long had it been since she had called home?

It worried her deeply. Was her family alright?

If Lilah remembered correctly, she'd get to call Sunday of the next weekend. Certainly something to look forward to. She was suddenly yanked out of her thoughts when Mocha began trying to drag her along, seeming intent on something. It brought Lilah's gaze up, and focused her attention. It seemed that the pup was trying to _eat _a police car that had just rolled up, though its Autobot symbol assured the woman that it was more than what it seemed. A slight frown pulled at her lips.

What was an Autobot doing here? Lilah wasn't complaining or anything, but what if something was wrong? Was everything alright? Ah well, there wasn't any reason to stand there and let the questions fog up her mind. If anything, she should be asking the Autobot, right? Yeah, that made sense. Made a lot more sense than just asking herself such things and getting not one goddamn answer out of it.

Nah, asking yourself all sorts of questions like that only gave yourself a headache.

Pulling Mocha back gently, Lilah saved the police car from the weenie dog puppy and carefully led her behind her legs. The last thing she needed was an Autobot with a temperament squishing her baby. If that happened, the deaf woman was pretty sure that she'd hurt him. Badly. Somehow. She didn't know how just yet, but she'd do it, dammit.

Then he began to transform.

Metal shifted around, cabling moved into place, pistons extended and the vehicle began to grow in size. Doorwings shifted out of his- she was sure it was male- back and a chevron decorated his forehead. This male mech was already keenly reminding her of Bluestreak. Maybe they were somehow related? Dread formed in the pit of her stomach at the next thought. Or maybe… was Bluestreak in trouble?

She was pulled from her worrying as the Autobot knelt down carefully, his bright blue optics examining her and the puppy still growling and barking at him from behind her legs. Embarrassed, Lilah scooted back in an attempt to keep her dog away from him whilst giving a nervously friendly smile. No need to appear rude, right? At the very least she should give him an opportunity to speak for himself.

"Are you Miss Locke?" Lilah followed his lips carefully, afraid to ask him to repeat himself. That would be embarrassing. Still, she nodded in reply. "I'm Prowl. Will you walk with me?" Well, he was straight forward and blunt. Good. That saved her the trouble of asking and being looked at weird, like she should know who he was and, heaven forbid, know why he was there. Because they seemed to expect that.

A lot.

"Just let me put my dog up first, I'll be out in a moment." It took her a moment to gather her wits, but Lilah managed to answer with her customary cheerful smile. Prowl simply nodded in reply as she pulled on her dog's leash and led her inside the lobby. What a relief. He didn't look at her like he was judging her or something. The mech didn't seem laid back at all, but at the very least he seemed nice. Right? Right.

She only hoped that her initial judgement wasn't wrong.

It took Lilah maybe a total of five minutes to put Mocha back in her apartment. Nervous as she was, it was a surprise that it didn't take longer. Her hands trembled when she had to turn the knob of her own home, and curiosity/dread filled questions plagued her brain. The amber eyed woman just couldn't help it.

Unlike others, she just couldn't resist her curious nature. It was her downfall, through and through. Because of this, however, Lilah found herself hurrying down the stairs of the hotel and outside. Prowl was waiting. Still knelt in his spot, it appeared as though he hadn't even shifted an inch to get more comfortable.

His back and wings were held rigidly, as if he had to be completely stiff and proper the entire time. It raised more questions in Lilah's mind, but those she pushed down. For all she knew, the guy had had a tough past and didn't want to talk about it, yeah? She had to be sensitive to the Autobots. They had feelings too. And she had no doubt in her mind that Prowl was no different. Despite the cold visage he was conveying at the moment. If anything, it just made Lilah think that it was some sort of defense to keep others out.

But that was just her.

Taking a deep breath, Lilah stepped up to him and offered a smile as always. In response, he held out a palm up hand. For all purposes, he didn't seem too chatty. Still, she was used to the drill, and climbed up onto the warm, pliable surface without a single complaint. God, where was Bluestreak when you needed him? Where was Maggie? She was _completely _out of her comfort zone right now!

But it would be alright. Right? Yeah. Yeah, it'd totally be okay. She just had to keep calm and handle this like a grown woman and not like a screaming baby afraid of her own shadow. Alright, Lilah, deep breaths. Deep breaths. Everything is going to be alright.

Yeah, she could work with this.

**(AN: I have to admit, guys. Its been a fucking shitty ass month thus far. I won't go into it, but let's just say that I haven't had much time to type. So, I'm sorry if this doesn't pass muster.**

**Anyway; on another note... WE HAVE ANOTHER AUTOBOT! :D So, Lilah is definitely gonna have friendships with other bots.**

**Oh, and more Bluestreak point of view next chapter! :D Look forward to that, yeah?)**


	8. Prowl N' Missions

They had been walking for a total of two minutes and Prowl hadn't said a word. Or at least, Lilah was pretty damn _sure _it was two minutes. But it might have been less or even more. She for sure didn't have a watch to mark time with.

Though she was wishing she did now. Lilah was pretty sure it was considered rude to pull out a phone and check the time in these sorts of situations. At least, it felt that way, and the last thing she wanted to do was anger the big mech currently carrying her. He could drop her, or crush her or- yeah, maybe getting on his hand wasn't such a good idea…

The ground was a really far way down, causing Lilah to hold tight to the mech's hand. She didn't want to fall, oh she REALLY didn't want to fall! Gods, why couldn't they just walk side by side like _normal _people?! Swallowing thickly and taking a deep breath, the computer analyst tried to calm herself down.

Having a panic attack at a time like this wouldn't help anything.

"I won't drop you." The sudden movement, both from Prowl's lips and the rumble from his chest startled the hell out of the little human. But she did catch what the mech said. He seemed to have taken note of her distress and was now staring down at her intently, his optic ridges drawn together in a rather human picture of concern.

"Sorry, I don't like heights." The explanation came with an embarrassed wave of the hand. Still, she didn't let up on her grip. This was an unfamiliar mech, and Lilah wasn't one to just go putting her trust in everyone she met. She was cheerful, yes. Gullible and fearless? No. Not at all. Letting go sounding like a _bad _idea.

It seemed to click in Prowl's brain after a moment and he nodded with a heavy vent out of his nose. His optics tilted back to look to where he was walking, leaving her and bringing relief to the poor woman. It was… unnerving to be stared at in such a way. Intent and unyielding. Observed and evaluated. It made her more nervous and she didn't know how much more she could handle. To Lilah, this mech seemed completely serious and down to earth in a way that made her brain want to break.

People like this were scary to her. How did she talk to him? How did she handle this?

Before she could dig herself into a deeper level of panic, Prowl began to speak, drawing Lilah's attention to his lips so she could follow along. "I wanted to thank you." Confusion clouded her expression and pulled her mouth into a frown. He seemed to either sense this or simply know because he began to explain.

"He seems to be happier and in a better mood since he met you. You have been a… positive influence on him, I believe." The whole time, Prowl kept his gaze steadily aimed at the road in front of him, walking in an even, straight line.

Even more confused then before, Lilah lifted a hand from her intense grip on his hand, and pointed to herself, unsure of what he just said. It seemed that he could see the action out of the corner of his eye, because he seemed amused at the action. A light smile tugged at his lips, but he appeared to be pushing it back. "Yes, you. I have to admit, even I get worn out by Bluestreak's endless chatter. But you don't seem to. Instead, you listen to everything he says, and are able to hold a conversation with him."

"Yes… isn't that normal?" Lilah's still puzzled look caused a deep vent to leave Prowl's nose yet again. Despite this, the woman still did not hear his second, nor his first. The mech might as well be making weird noises to himself.

He took several moments to think in quiet before he answered her. "Bluestreak has… a problem, as I suppose you could call it. It's hard for him to be quiet, and so he constantly talks. Others find it hard to listen after a while." Well, that sounded to her like they were mean to the poor mech and told him to shut up. What jerk faces. It wasn't like Bluestreak was hurting them with his talking or anything.

How would they like it if she told _them _to shut the hell up?

"Since meeting you, however, he's become far more cheerful and won't stop talking about you." Lilah was glad she had been looking at Prowl's face when he spoke. If she hadn't, she would have missed what he said. As it was, she caught it, and in response, her face flushed a faint pink color. He talked about her?

Shaking her head quickly, Lilah decided to change the way this conversation was going. "I'm sorry, but are you related to Bluestreak? You share the same body type, it seems…" Prowl took a moment to look down at her appraisingly. Most didn't ask about that at all, or simply took it as they were the same race. Much like the different races of humans. Caucasian, Indian, Mexican… that sort of thing.

"Yes, actually. Bluestreak is my 'nephew', I suppose you could say. Though, on Cybertron, it was very different." The mech nodded a bit and Lilah sat back in his servo, chewing on that bit of information. Though the woman was deaf, and happy-go-lucky, and perhaps a bit annoying to some, she was intelligent. It was a given, since she worked as a computer analyst.

And it was very clear to her that this mech was Bluestreak's guardian.

After a brief moment, Prowl stopped back in front of her hotel again, seemingly agitated by something. "I only came by to thank you for your actions. But, would you allow me to ask a question?" Lilah blinked at him, surprised, before nodding her compliance. "What… are your feelings towards Bluestreak?" For a moment, the black haired woman was practically drowning in confusion at the sudden turn of the conversation.

Then it dawned on her. This mech, the caretaker of Bluestreak, was worried for his charge. Possibly worried that she, little human though she may be, would hurt him. Not physically, but, rather, mentally. And Lilah knew she could. It was so very easy to injure someone like that, when they were your friend. When you talked to them and opened up with them. When you learned about them and spent time together.

Lilah was in a worrisome position, and Prowl knew little of her. The woman could well understand his apprehension.

Though she wouldn't stand up in his hand for fear of falling, Lilah certainly did turn in his grasp to look up at him firmly. Eye contact established, she did her best to speak clearly and firmly, to settle his worries to the fullest of her abilities. It was difficult due to the silence greeting her ears, but she managed. "Bluestreak is my friend." At this point, he indeed was, "I won't wrong him." For a moment, Prowl only stared at her.

After a moment, however, his posture relaxed a bit, as if seeing what he needed to in the tiny being he held. "Good." Calmed, the Autobot knelt and set her on the ground with the utmost care, as if knowing it was very easy to break her. "Please have a nice day." Lilah barely had a chance to answer him in kind before he had transformed and drove off in such a way that told her he had something important to do.

He struck her as the busy work-a-holic type.

Sighing through her nose heavily, Lilah turned and looked up at her hotel. Dammit, now she had to find something to do until nightfall. But what? She could play video games, but that got boring after awhile. She would spend time with Mocha but the pup was probably already back asleep. Maggie, of course, was called in…

Was Bluestreak still on his mission? The amber eyed woman didn't know. Was he safe at the moment? Oh hell, what if something had gone wrong? What if he was injured somewhere, alone? Or… or he could be on base. Yeah, come on Lilah, think positive. He could be on base and just tired and dirty from his mission. It wasn't like he _had _to report in to her when he got back, right? Right. He was a free mech.

Besides, Prowl hadn't seemed worried. Then again, he seemed intensely good at hiding his emotions should he feel the need to. Damn, this was hard. Well, there was no use sitting around wondering. Might as well go check, yeah? Yeah. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, the human steadied herself. No need to get worked up over nothing or panic. That wouldn't solve anything. The first order of business was to check and see if he was at the base. If he wasn't… well, she would cross that bridge when she got there.

So, with that thought in mind, Lilah squared her shoulders and began walking after Prowl.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

Blue really hated missions that went like this.

Like, really, _really _hated missions that went like this. You know those missions where nothing seems to go right, the galaxy is out to kill you, fate hates your guts, and even Lady Luck herself goes- 'Oh _hell _no!'? Yeah. This was one of _those _missions. And poor Bluestreak was right in the middle of it all as it went down.

Firstly, they ran into those Decepticons they were tracking. Yep. They had apparently turned around and made camp right in the Autobots path by chance. And _that _had turned into a firefight. They had barely managed to defeat them, with minor and cosmetic damage to the Autobots as a result. However, then Starscream had showed up. Which normally wouldn't be a big deal; but he had brought his damned trine along.

One was easy. Two was a challenge. All three? They were a force to be reckoned with.

The team had chosen to retreat, leaping through the forest like madmen with the seekers right on their afts. Firing over their shoulders at the flying Decepticons, the Autobots tried to lose them in the forest. Luckily, none of them were hurt save Sideswipe, who got hit in the right knee. It was light damage, though, and so Sunstreaker simply supported his twin as they ran. While it slowed them, they still made significant distance.

However, they didn't manage to _lose _the 'Cons until they fell right into a deep swamp. Confused, their enemies made several passes over the dense forest, searching for them. The Autobots wisely didn't surface and instead bided their time beneath the murky water. When the enemies had, at long last, left, they crawled from the disgusting liquid filth.

The first thing Sunny did? Punch Sideswipe in the head, screech about his paint and how nasty he felt, and then blame his twin for everything. To which the red warrior gripped his helm, whined, and messed with his brother. Bluestreak, himself, was honestly too tired to talk to them. He was so worn out and felt so disgusting, that he didn't even feel like talking. Honestly, all he wanted was a shower and a good recharge.

Some energon would be nice too though.

Everyone's paint had been scratched, and all sorts of algae, moss, branches, and leaves covered their forms and stuck out of joints. Mud squished irritably from within said joints and from between panels. It only served to drive them to higher heights of pissed off-ness. Even kind, cheerful Blue was at the very end of his rope.

What really took the cake though, was when the seekers appeared over the treeline once more, and began to chase them yet again through the forest. "NOT AGAIN! YOU AFTHOLES!" Screaming, on borderline femme mode, Sunstreaker shot at them determinedly and let his twin lead him as they leaned on one another and fled from them. Bluestreak chose to ignore them and instead bolted through the forest.

It was taking all his tired, exhausted focus not to run into a tree, dammit.

Besides, pickup was only a few hundred feet away, and if they could make it, they would be out of this hell hole. They had the information they had been sent for, in any case. So what was the point to wasting time with those seekers? The sniper would much rather bathe, fuel up, and recharge. They could go frag themselves for all he cared at this point.

When Skyfire's form came into sight, the Autobots practically dived inside.

"GO GO GO-"  
>"-MESSED UP MY PAINT-"<p>

"-HERE THEY COME!" Lazer fire rained down upon the shuttle's entrance, but it closed before it could hit the targets within. Once sealed off from the outside world, the screaming mass of jumbled Autobot team disentangled themselves from one another, wheezing and more than a little upset. Oh, the twins were _so _going to jet judo those fuckers the next time they met them on the battlefield.

No mercy. Not. One. Fucking. Ounce.

Acting quickly, Skyfire took off into the sky, performing quick aerial maneuvers to escape the three Decepticons. Luck seemed to finally shine down upon them, because the flying Autobot managed to lose them in the clouds. Thank Primus.

No worse for wear, Skyfire banked and headed back to base with the team. "So… how'd it go?"

"_**It fucking sucked**_**.**" Sunstreaker's snarl made the scientist wish he hadn't inquired about it. The other two only groaned and laid back in the shuttle's seats. The quiet white flying Autobot made a silent note to clean himself, both inside and out, when he got back. Those three were filthy, and they were getting him dirty. That wasn't something he enjoyed.

"Skyfire?" Sideswipe's voice was exhausted,

"Yes?"

"We're never going on another Primus damned mission like that again." The warrior groaned.

"Amen." Sunny's mutter was followed by Bluestreak's sigh,

"That was ridiculous."

The shuttle could only wonder at what the three had gone through, because they didn't seem keen on recounting the tale.

All he knew was that they _seriously_ needed a good cleaning.

**(AN: By all technicalities, it's Saturday here. A very EARLY Saturday, but a Saturday nonetheless. Yes, all things considered, this is early. Don't judge me man. I'm gonna be a bit busy so I figured I'd go ahead and do it now.**

**I'm gonna go do the stuff. Like the next Chapter of Pierce My Silence. Yeah, that sounds good. Right after a nap. Cause I'm EXHAUSTED.**

**Night. Leave me a review, da? I love to hear your guys's thoughts! :D)**


	9. Return Of The Sniper

The base had calmed down since the week. Rather than being greeted by the bustle of activity, Lilah found it to be somewhat empty. There was only a skeletal crew of soldiers on duty, and she found it was much easier to navigate the halls. The threat of being stepped on or shoved over and trampled was very small.

Something Lilah was very grateful for.

It allowed her to slip around without fear or paranoia. And it wasn't too long before she found herself both thoroughly lost and without a single lead as to _where _on the base Bluestreak could be. A little discouraged, Lilah found her gaze dropping subconsciously towards the floor. Because of this, she never saw the giant metallic foot. It didn't help that the huge bot had a tendency to move silently.

So the deaf woman plowed right into a large, dark blue, metal leg in the next moment. Just like she had so long ago against Bluestreak's leg. Lilah stumbled, bouncing off of the surprisingly warm, smooth material and tripping backwards over her own feet in surprise. Failing to catch herself or regain her balance, the brunette crashed against the floor heavily.

For a moment, all she could do was clench her teeth together tightly and shut her eyes against the pain ricocheting up through her body from her tailbone. Oh how it hurt. Ow, ow, ow! All hint of clear thought had taken a backseat as the woman laid there, unaware that someone was speaking to her. Lilah's attention was brought back to the real world, however, when something slipped under her back and _picked her up_.

Shrieking in startled fear, heart skipping a beat, Lilah's eyes ripped themselves open and she flailed slightly in panic.

Luckily, her holder was able to keep her in his grasp and from falling to the ground. When Lilah realized she wasn't going anywhere, and that the being that held her in its grasp meant no harm, she began to calm. It took her several moments to breathe and focus on the one sharing in her personal bubble space.

Optimus Prime. Leader of the Autobots.

Holy. Shit.

Lilah didn't normally cuss, but right now, that was about the only though coursing through her mind. Right alongside 'fuck'. Because really, she'd just made a fool of herself right in front of one of her boss's. What rotten luck. Tucking her head down quickly, the normally cheerful woman began uttering apologies. She didn't expect the leader to run a finger down her back in a soothing, worried manner.

She jumped a little, but was readily calmed by the compassionate, yet stern Autobot's touch. Shifting nervously, amber eyes flited up to look at the Prime. Not to stare or be rude, but to watch in case he said anything. Wait, what if she had already missed something?! Panic surged through her, speeding up her heartbeat.

Dammit! This was possibly the worst second impression she could have ever made!

"Are you alright?" It seemed like Optimus was repeating himself, his expression worried and his gaze focused. Lilah was quick to nod in response. All she had was a wounded pride, a deflated ego, a swiss cheese shot confidence, and a sore bottom. This was, however, to be expected after running into a giant alien robot's leg.

The amber eyed woman was quick to brace herself against the Prime's hand as he began to walk slowly. Though she needn't have worried, because the Autobot had quite a firm grip on her, and didn't seem willing to let her fall. Still, Lilah wrapped both her arms around her carrier's pointer finger, terrified of falling to the floor below.

For a moment, neither Lilah, nor Optimus spoke. The woman was too busy focusing on calming her breathing and her poor heart, which seemed to want to leap from her chest in fear. The Prime himself seemed to be trying to help her gather her wits by slowly walking around and cradling her carefully. And, after a few minutes, both succeeded. Mumbling yet another apology, Lilah managed to shift into a halfway sitting up position against the giant's large finger. She did not, however, let go or even loosen her grip, mind you.

"It's alright. Are you injured?" At Optimus's question, Lilah was quick to shake her head. The Autobot seemed relieved to hear it, as he relaxed a bit and didn't seem as uptight as he did a moment ago. The big bot was quiet for a moment more, as if considering his next words with care. The brunette only blinked up at him with large, curious eyes.

It was so strange. Like with Bluestreak, she felt safe in this being's hold.

Only she felt _safer _in Blue's. A pang of emptiness coursed through her heart.

To get it off her mind, Lilah decided to take the offensive in the conversation. "I'm sorry, um…" Oh crap, what did she call him by? She didn't know what to call him! Mr. Prime? Prime? Optimus? Optimus Prime? Maybe-

"Call me Optimus." The large Autobot smiled down at her without a hint of annoyance or anger, amusement sparking in his eyes and a smile tugging at his lips.

The human could only blink.

This… leader was… _different _from what she had expected.

"Optimus." Still, Lilah was never one to let herself be overwhelmed for too long, and smiled as she did her best to sound out his name. It wasn't the easiest, as she couldn't hear herself, but she seemed to have managed, because he didn't look offended. That was a start, right? "Well, I'm sorry, Optimus. I wasn't looking where I was going. I didn't mean to run into you." Sincerity colored her words.

"Its alright. Where were you headed?" The leader seemed like he was beginning to unwind after the initial scare. His expression compassionate and his eyes patient and kind. It warmed Lilah to her core. Optimus was like… that understanding dad. Or that loving uncle you always wanted to hear stories from. Already, the deaf woman found herself liking him in a family like sense. Though, she wished, not for the first time, that she could hear.

Would his voice be as accepting and warm as his features? Lilah believed it to be so.

"I was actually looking for Bluestreak. Have you seen him?" Amber eyes locked on the lower half of the metal face eagerly. She wanted to know where he was, to say hi to him and see that he was alright. As she did so, Optimus's expression twisted into a frown. In turn, it caused Lilah to mimic his expression. Was something wrong?

"He's out on a scouting mission. But he should be back very soon." The first part was slow and hesitant, and after seeing the human femme's face fall, he was quick to tack on the second part. Lilah looked up at him in curiosity, tilting her head. She was still disappointed, yes. But it was only a scouting mission, right? Nothing too dangerous. He'd be alright.

But still. Why did the worry still remain in her chest? It gnawed away at her, as if it were a mouse, and she was its cheese. "How soon?" Lilah couldn't stop the childish question. It was a… quieter side to her personality. Something she didn't let show very often because of shame. Right now, though, she really couldn't help it. The deaf woman was _really _worried for Blue. And no matter how child like it may seem, she had to ask.

Optimus didn't seem to mind. His optics only softened with even more patience and warmth.

"I don't know. They are expected back today, however. You're welcome to wait in the base, if you wish." His words drew a thoughtful expression from the tiny human. She could wait. It wouldn't be a problem. Really, she didn't have much else to do. Her weekends were normally boring, and spent either reading or playing with her puppy.

Lilah didn't get a chance to reply, however, when a plane's vicious roar pierced through the air. While she didn't hear the engine's cry, Optimus's head did jerk up towards the door to the main hangar, where he seemed to have stopped stock still with her, alerting the female to the noise. That, and the vibrations racing through the metal being kind of gave it away. Lilah was very sharp most of the time.

And even she knew that only a plane of massive proportions could make that sort of vibration run through a being so big, to a level of which she could _feel_. Only one Autobot came to mind that could do that. Because really, at the moment Lilah knew that there weren't any large _human _planes on the island.

It had to be that big white Autobot. No, she didn't know his name. Personally, the deaf woman had never met him before or been introduced to him. Since she hadn't been told his name, how could she possibly even know? Still, the human had seen him around the base. Had seen him transform and had been left in awe and wonder as he took off into the sky, leaving the ground within a certain radius of distance vibrating.

So when she felt the vibrations, Lilah couldn't help but to perk up.

Without another word, Optimus Prime moved closer to those doors. Patiently, he stood before them, waiting. What came _through _them, however, was not what Lilah had expected. In fact, she didn't really know what she had expected, but it had _not _been _that_.

Three Autobots entered. Well, in all actuality, one of them slammed the doors open with such enraged **force **that Lilah nearly fell out of the Prime's hand as they entered afterwards. But the large leader didn't let her. The bots were… unrecognizable. From head to toe, they were covered in filth. Muck dripped from their forms in all different kinds. Slime, sludge, mud, moss, twigs, huge ass branches… they had it all and more.

One, with optics nearly pure white, with red lining around the edges, stomped past them. He seemed PISSED. And the bloodlust rolling off of him made Lilah shiver. That one was dangerous. At least at the moment. In response to her action, Optimus gently ran his finger down her back again in an attempt to sooth her.

It worked.

The other two approached them at a slower pace. While they seemed upset and disgruntled, it was no where near the level that the first Autobot had been on, which relieved the little human in the Prime's palm. Currently, it seemed that none of them had spotted her. Maybe that was good, all things considered. They seemed REALLY peeved off, and the last thing Lilah needed was the Autobot forces upset with her, considering she worked with them.

"We'll give you our report later, Prime." The deaf woman could just barely make out what one of them was saying thanks to their moving mouth. Almost out of habit, her gaze reflexively darted between the three Autobots, keeping up with the conversation with some work. And although it made her eyes hurt slightly, it was better than being in the dark about what was going on around her. Lilah had learned quite awhile ago that that could get you hurt.

"Very well, Sideswipe." Optimus answered, his expression still calm. So, that one was Sideswipe, huh? The computer analyst took note of it in her mind for later. Without another word, the robot moved by his leader wearily. He trudged along as if a great weight weighed down on his shoulders in a painful way.

Lilah found herself sympathetic towards him. She wished she could help.

"Bluestreak? What is it?" Optimus's words made the deaf woman's eyes snap back to the last filth covered being standing before them. It was _so _much harder to keep up with Blue's rattling when she could barely see his mouth. But she did make out enough to understand the gist of what he was saying. Her friend seemed to be asking for permission to take a bath before reporting back to his leader with Sideswipe and… Sunstreaker?

Must have been the first one. Again, Lilah took note of the name.

"Of course." The Prime nodded, giving Bluestreak permission to remove the muck from his form. She had never seen the poor bot look so relieved. He thanked Optimus and moved to leave, but before he could, Lilah called out to him. For a moment, the sniper seemed confused, turning around in a bewildered manner. Seeing her in his leader's hand over, he brightened up considerably and began to prattle excitedly.

"I'm sorry, I can't understand you. You're covered in… um…" How did she put this? Ah. Still, Blue seemed to understand and nodded. She didn't see what Optimus said, but he must have said something, because he vibrated, and then he handed her over to the other Autobot. The sniper readily accepted her into his hold, seeming to vibrate with elation. Acting quickly and adapting to the change in the environment, Lilah gripped onto the new platform tightly, which seemed to be relatively clean compared to the rest of him.

Without another word, the boss bot hurried off out of the main hangar. The deaf woman watched him leave. Maybe he had been called to a meeting or something? He left pretty fast. And while Lilah knew very little of the Autobots and their world, she at least knew about their com. link thingies. It wasn't too far fetched to think that perhaps he had gotten called to something rather important, after all.

Twisting her neck, Lilah refocused her gaze on her new holder.

As expected, he was rattling on again in his normal, adorable way. Only, she barely managed to catch the end of his speech "-nd I can tell you all about my mission!" And with that, he started down the hall, leaving the hangar behind with a bewildered Lilah in hand.

Wait, _what_? What had she been volunteered for? Completely confused, the deaf human tried to get his attention by waving her arms. But the filthy sniper, oblivious and dense as he was, seemed completely focused on getting somewhere and didn't notice her. But it wasn't long before Lilah's confusion was cleared up indefinitely.

Because Bluestreak walked straight into a room labeled 'Mech Washroom'.

And Lilah felt herself beginning to gape.

He couldn't seriously mean…?

Seriously?

**(AN: I'm sorry guys. Seriously. I didn't mean to leave ya with no chapter last week. I've just been outta sorts. Those who've been keeping up with these notes on both my stories know what I'm talking about.**

**Thankfully though, I've managed to pull myself out of that damned ditch, and I've put myself back together. :) Never worry, my friends, its back to writing for me. I could never stay away for long. However, I'm sad to say that I've been, uh, ****_pressured _****lately by my family. To get a job, to get my driver's permit and license, and to save up and get a car. Because of this, I've been on a job hunt and I've been studying my driver's book thing. So, posts may become... sparse due to this. I really am sorry. :( Life's a bitch, yeah? I promise I'll do my best to keep posting on time, but though you all deserved a head's up just in case.**

**Now then! On to the story. :D LOOK! Optimus makes an appearance! AND FLUFFY THINGS HAPPEN IN THE NEXT CHAPTER BECAUSE BUBBLES AND SCRUBBING TIME. XD Don't worry, Lilah's gonna lend a hand. ;D You'll get to see when the next chapter comes around.**

**Leave me a review and enjoy yourselves, yeah? Ya'll have a nice day. :D You guys are decent people. I mean that. ^^)**


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